PlayStation All-Stars Volume Two, Season Four
by Coleiosis
Summary: Finally, after months of a hiatus, the fourth season to the PlayStation All-Stars reboot is here! Ratchet, Pupuru, and the League of Heroes are about to uncover some of the most darkest secrets that have been hidden away all these years. Who knows what it can lead to? Find out in this attention-grabbing epic season!
1. The Unfriendly Competition

PlayStation All-Stars

Volume Two, Season Four

Episode One

The Unfriendly Competition

By Cole Bezotte

 **Yeah, I know it's been a very long time since I wrote this series. It's just that I've been interested in many other projects, such as a behind-the-scenes video of this PlayStation All-Stars series, which will explain the making of both the cancelled AND the modern stories. Other than that, there may possibly be a fan-made Twisted Metal game soon to be in development. I don't know for SURE, though. Anyway, this new season will feature the most amazing elements you have never expected before! This first issue of season four will contain a beloved musical guest star Hatsune Miku (from Vocaloid)! The next issue, sadly, will not be written until much later. I have to watch the Ratchet & Clank movie first, in order to see if my guess on something certain is correct.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

Yes, the opening to this story takes place at the mansion of the League of Heroes. Do not get frustrated every time you read that phrase.

Captain Qwark did not exactly act like himself that day. As he walked through the front door, he bore a smile that no one noticed on him in a long time. Perhaps this was his smirk of mischievousness, where he has a prank or cruel joke in mind.

"I just came back from the greatest Limp Bizkit concert!" he exclaimed as he showed everyone the new hat he bought with the band's logo on it. "Boy, I've never heard so many words in one song, not in my life!"

"I don't know about this…" Ratchet nervously replied. "Did you hear any explicit lyrics while you were there?"

"Oh, there was only about one or two! It was fine."

"I hope you're telling the truth…"

"Alright, never mind! There were about a million cuss words I heard."

"Aha! Okay, Qwark, I'll let you play your little game while you can, but I've got some news of my own: Adema is back on tour, and I'm looking forward to seeing their new show in Bakersfield."

 **(Yes, the notes are back! Adema is indeed on tour again, and I heard good news that all the members are now Christians. Hooray!)**

"As if Pupuru would like to go with you, squirt," Qwark replied.

"Speaking of which…" Ratchet continued, "…where is she? I haven't seen her at all today."

Up in her room, the girl known as Pupuru reclined on her bed, her eyes staring at the bunk above her. Nothing else seemed to occur other than the radio playing music from a nearby station. Pupuru recognized the female singer's voice right away; she had been interested in the works of Hatsune Miku, a musician who held most of her music shows in Tokyo, Japan. Recently, the news came that Miku was coming to Los Angeles to put up a show no one else in America would have seen, and Pupuru was hoping to be one of the first to see it.

Suddenly, before the song ended, a knock was heard at the door. Pupuru allowed Ratchet to step into the room and tell whatever was on his mind.

"So that's where you've been this whole time, eh?" Ratchet spoke as he held out a folded slip of paper. "I hope you're interested in coming to Adema's new show on April 2. By the way, who's this singer you're listening to?" Ratchet's right ear twitched as it tuned in to what was playing on the radio.

"I'm surprised you don't recognize Hatsune Miku," Pupuru replied with a smile. "I'm so excited for her show in LA, and it won't be long until it happens!"

"And when is that, may I ask?"

"It's on St. Patrick's Day. I look forward to getting my ticket!"

"Oh, alright. At least that's almost a month from when Adema is performing. Well, if it's a ticket you want, come downstairs with me and I'll reserve you a good spot."

"Thanks, Ratchet!"

Before you ever get confused about what happened next, I will give a brief explanation about an event that happened about a day or two beforehand. All the way at the foreign realm of Mobius, Dr. Eggman's island fortress stood completely still, unlike the man who owned the place. The brain of Eggman had recently hatched a scheme that would change the course of villainy, and tonight, he wanted to put it into action.

"Now that Needles has finished killing off Sonic…" Eggman explained to his two robot servants Orbot and Cubot, "…I can bring that clown here and do exactly as we discussed previously. I'll give him death like he's never tasted it before!"

 **(Note: To see further details about what Dr. Eggman is talking about, go to Super Sonic Squad season 7, episodes 3 and 4.)**

With a few switches and levers pulled, the mad genius activated his new Egg-Transporter. He configured a special dial of his own design to select a certain subject and snatch him from wherever he was located. Then that subject would be teleported to Eggman's lab in the blink of an eye. So, for this first test, Dr. Eggman chose Needles and brought him to his laboratory to foil the scheme he currently worked on.

The contraption worked, and Needles was brought into Eggman's presence. But the fiendish clown did not control a mortal body at the time. He was still a ghost, searching for a body to use and fight with.

"What's this?!" Needles exclaimed as he looked around himself. "You would dare save me?!"

"I'm not here to help you!" Eggman replied stubbornly. "I brought you here for reasons that you shouldn't know about."

"I'm guessing you didn't want to save me from Pupuru; I thought her magic was the source that made me disappear. I thought she defeated me for good!"

"So that girl was in on the action, eh? She must have been mad after finding out you killed Sonic."

"I was not able to kill Sonic, apparently…"

"WHAT?!"

"That accursed Power Ring protected him from me finishing him! He still lives!"

"Well, I guess that means no billion dollars for you. HA! I didn't want to give it to you anyway! I'll get to that part anyway; but for now, let me just say that even a great killer like YOU can never defeat Sonic! You keep running ahead of yourself and assume that you'll be the first to attack. I have something that you don't: a brain that thinks of what I'll need to do in order to GET THINGS DONE THE RIGHT WAY!"

"Do not assume you are better than me, punk! I can kill you nice and easy right here and now!"

"Oh, my apologies. That's exactly what I'm planning to do to you! You see, right before your dolls were disposed of, I stole Luigi's special ghost vacuum. Now is my chance to use it on you before you think of any more ideas to destroy me!"

Desperately, Needles flew away in time to avoid being sucked into said contraption. He had already planned to gain himself a new flesh body and strike at Ratchet again. "I'll put Sonic on hold for now…" he thought as he left the island. "Time for me to go back to continuing the glory days of making Ratchet so miserable!"

"Well, sir…" Orbot sadly said as he looked out a nearby window, "…he got away from us. That means you won't be able to fulfill your wish."

"Hmmm…" Dr. Eggman replied. "It's funny how he should mention Pupuru. That gives me an idea! I'll teleport her here to the prison facility of my fortress, along with whoever she is associated with. And after I successfully fulfill an execution, I'll show that overly-dramatic clown who the REAL villain is!" With a laugh, he began to configure the dial on his Egg-Transporter; he first used this machine on Mobius, so he needed to stretch its radar all the way to Earth. Only then will he be able to steal away Pupuru and fulfill his wish.

Now we come to days later, on St. Patrick's Day, where Pupuru and her shifter friend Kat were brought to the stage where Miku would soon perform later that day. Though Miku was not yet there for rehearsal, the two girls were able to reserve a couple of seats for themselves.

Unfortunately, right after Ratchet left after dropping the girls off, Needles found this as the chance to put an assassination in place. After killing a bystander and claiming his body, he stole a sniper rifle from a nearby gun shop and positioned himself on the rooftop of a building, right next to the stage where Miku was to perform.

"So she made it here…" Needles thought as he aimed his gun down at Pupuru below. "I knew the papers would not tell lies, so I figured Miku's show would bring Pupuru here. And she's brought Kat with her; what a bonus for me! Now to prove to that overweight mad genius who the REAL villain!"

Suddenly, an incredible feat took place that startled the power-hungry clown. Right when he pulled the trigger and launched his first bullet, Pupuru instantly vanished from sight. Needles did not see her or Kat anywhere at all; it was as if they were erased from the face of the earth.

"How did they do that?!" he thought angrily, feeling that his victory was stolen from him. "I've never seen them disappear before! Did they activate a cloaking device? No! What am I thinking! It's that cheapskate Julian who transported them to his fortress!"

Knowing that Eggman was the genius behind this, Needles grabbed hold of his gun and began to make his way down the stairs of the building in a hurry. But someone did hear the loud crack of his shooting; the ever-sharp ears of Ratchet heard what happened and went ahead to investigate. "If he killed Pupuru…" he thought with a vengeance, "…I swear I'll end his evil life!"

Ratchet ran right into the building that Needles was attempting to escape from; this was the time for battle again with his worst nemesis.

The battle will be explained in due time. But for now, let us turn our attention back to Pupuru and Kat, who had just appeared at Dr. Eggman's prison facility. They each were put into special cells, containing a raging force field in the front to keep prisoners from simply walking out. The walls were transparent, but one touch would mean an electric zap upon any prisoner who would dare to lean up against them.

"How did we get here?" Pupuru thought aloud. "One moment, we're in town, and now THIS? I think I know someone who has the power to teleport us…"

"Don't even try breaking out of there!" spoke a familiar voice. Eggman approached the three prison cells that held his new captives. "That force field can burn you if you dare lay a finger on it. I was the one who brought you three here, and I'll personally execute you to prove that I am better than that clown!"

"Three?" Pupuru replied, confused. "Who else did you-?" She turned to her left and saw who else Eggman was talking to: it was none other than Hatsune Miku. "Miku!" Pupuru exclaimed. "He took you here too! I'll make sure he doesn't get away with this!"

"You can only PLAN, but not do!" Eggman replied with a sneer. "I've stripped you of your powers and your weapons while you were asleep."

"It looks like you've ALREADY won this game… I managed to wipe Needles away from existence, and you weren't there to see it."

"Oh, you only THINK you did, but I teleported him here to my lab right before your magic even touched him. Now it's MY turn to be the winner! You girls wait right here…"

After Eggman turned to leave, Pupuru felt the urge to ask Kat a favor. "Can you use your powers here?" she asked her. "Maybe you can use them to disable the shields."

"I'm afraid I can't…" Kat sadly replied. "Only Dusty can grant me my powers, but that critter is too far away from me now."

"Then all we'll have to do is wait…" spoke Miku from behind. "I probably won't mind going through one concert without rehearsing it all."

"But I still promise we'll get out of here as quickly as we can," Pupuru replied. "When we're released from these cells, we'll fight Eggman with every ounce of bare strength we have."

It was not until about five minutes later that Orbot and Cubot were sent to shut down the power from the prison cells. Pupuru looked at them as if they were here to help.

"We know what you're thinking…" Orbot spoke to her. "But we're not here to help you. We must obey Dr. Eggman blindly."

"We really hate to do this…" Cubot added, "…but what has to be has to be…"

The two robots led the three girls to Eggman's computer room, where the scientist waited for them. With a snap of his fingers, he commanded Orbot to place his robotic fingers onto Pupuru's head, in which he would collect her memory and import it into one of the nearby computers. "Why are you doing this?" Pupuru demanded as Orbot configured the computer to read the memory.

"Didn't you hear me before?" Eggman replied. "I'm doing this to prove to Needles that I am a worthy villain! I should be better than all those other outcasts! It's a good thing I came prepared and enhanced Orbot's special abilities… Now your memory shall be shared with the whole world, and they will see you as a coward, a freak, an outcast…and a psychopath!"

"When I read about you back at Tokyo…" Miku said softly to Pupuru, "…I never thought of you this way. I guess there was so much more I haven't learned until now…"

"You will see…" Pupuru sadly replied. "And I'm sorry that you will know everything about me, here and now…"

"That is far enough, Julian!" boomed a voice from behind. "I'm ready to kill this dude and claim my place as top villain!" Needles had arrived with the limp body of Ratchet, throwing him onto the floor and keeping his machete in hand. Only by using a portal gun did the fiend make it to Mobius.

"This is gonna suck!" Dr. Eggman exclaimed. "If you kill Ratchet, and I spread this evidence about Pupuru, then we BOTH will be feared! But it's all supposed to revolve around ME!"

"This shall be over quick!" Needles continued, holding the blade near Ratchet's head. "NOTHING shall hold me back from my victory! Not even YOU, Julian!"

Eggman stood there watching, thinking deeply about how far he had gone to exposing Pupuru's dark secrets to the whole world. "We're both about to have our ways!" he thought to himself. "And yet, if we both succeed in defeating our foes, we'll be the most feared people on earth! I can't let Needles take half the credit! Something must be done…even if I HATE to do it…"

Surprisingly, the mad genius snatched a nearby laser pistol from the left desk and shot at Needles, scorching his left arm. "It looks like you win, Ratchet!" Eggman said to the wounded Lombax. "Take the girls and get out of here!"

"I'm surprised at you, Eggman!" Ratchet replied as he stood up. "I thought you were a tyrant!"

"I'm not trying to help you. I just don't want Needles here to take all the credit for himself. And since I'm all out of ammunition in this gun, I don't have anything else to attack you. You can go now. Just don't think that I'm done being an enemy of yours."

"I'll remember that…" After hearing those words, Ratchet took the girls and set the coordinates of the Egg-Transporter to take them back to LA. It worked perfectly, without Needles following directly behind them.

"You idiot!" Needles exclaimed. "I'll have your head for this!"

"If you can't murder an oversized ogre…" Eggman replied as he made his escape from the madman, "…then you definitely can't kill ME!"

Someday, the two villains would meet again and battle to the death. They were still in a very unfriendly competition.

Back at Los Angeles, Miku was satisfied to be brought back to the stage where she soon put up the biggest show ever to hit the city. Though she had very little time for rehearsal, she managed to pull off the performance perfectly. She still remembered the correct notes to play on her guitar, as well as the lyrics she wrote for the songs. Nobody else could compare that show to anything else they've seen, not even Captain Qwark. And the best part was that Pupuru and Kat were in the front row, watching the whole thing play right before their eyes.

 **IF YOU THOUGHT THAT WAS AMAZING, JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE WHAT NEW THINGS ARE COMING TO YOUTUBE! LOTS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT WILL BE RELEASED ON MY CHANNEL Coleiosis B.**


	2. SF: A Tale of Two Sweet Teeth

PlayStation All-Stars

Volume Two, Season Four

Special Feature: A Tale of Two Sweet Teeth

Written and edited by Cole Bezotte

Requested by Forrest Eaton (not my older brother Forrest Bezotte)

 **I know what you're thinking: "Why are you reviving an episode from the cancelled series?" Well, I'll tell you right now. Forrest Eaton wanted me to bring back this episode because he is a fan of Twisted Metal like I am, but I'll have a strict method to writing this. I will make this cleaner and more appealing than the original version, which was titled "Truth Revealed", written November 2013. The story is all just a dream Pupuru had, remember? Only this time, it will be shown as a flashback instead.**

 **Enjoy!**

Ratchet lied motionlessly on his bed. It was the middle of the afternoon, yet he felt the need to rest and try to remember many things about the past he had forgotten about. This time, Clank was right next to his bedside to help scan for other forgotten memories. "My scanner is ready, Ratchet," he spoke after searching through Ratchet's virtual journal.

"Go ahead and read the fourth chapter of the dream," Ratchet replied. "It should appear after the Dark Knight's first appearance."

"Are you sure you want to be reminded of that horrible dream? This is the first time you asked me to read a portion of it."

"I said go ahead and read it. There is something I must know about…about Sasha…"

"I hope you don't regret this…" Clank muttered as he placed the end a thin metal tube onto Ratchet's head. Just like that, the memory from Clank's database began to enter the Lombax's mind and cause him to remember the event in the dream he wanted to think about.

"Marcus doesn't live here anymore…!" spoke a voice from inside his head. "SHUT UP AND BLEED, YOU MOTHERF- %*$!"

That's when the dream came in fully, as Ratchet suddenly found himself in his room again. However, it was not a pretty scene that he stumbled upon; the room was very dark, with no lights on except from the alarm clock. Ratchet looked out the window to see the sky completely covered by rainclouds. Drops of water hit the window furiously as the storm raged on; it almost did not look safe to be outside.

Outside this state of mind, Ratchet lied completely still, unable to control what was going on inside his head. What went on inside was simply a flashback as to what happened long ago in Pupuru's big dream. Thanks to the power of Marcus Kane—when he took the form of the Dark Knight—Ratchet and Pupuru shared the same memory about the dream.

Back inside his mind, Ratchet noticed his Omniwrench at the corner of the room. He slowly grabbed it, then immediately turned himself around to expect any sudden danger. "This feeling of uneasiness really takes me over," he thought to himself as he opened the door to the hallway. "After fighting off those Tyhrranoids, someone is BOUND to have revenge on us! Sweet Tooth, Calypso, Yoshimitsu, Mr. Grimm… It could be either one of those men! And I must say, Sasha has never been so mighty big of a target until now."

 **(Note: All that Ratchet mentions here are from the chapter that previously came before "Truth Revealed". It was considered by my older brother as a "novelette".)**

At that same time, Sasha Phyronix began to think similar thoughts about the past invasion. Alone in the living room she sat, in the dark, pondering over the same theory. "I was glad to reunite with Ratchet…" she thought, sitting in the silence of the room. "I was glad that we survived this Tyhrranoid invasion. But there is one thing that still remains in this mystery I cannot open: will Ratchet stay with me? I don't want to separate from him like that moment years ago; as mayor of Metropolis, I couldn't make any such calls. I didn't hear from him since until the Tyhrranoid invasion started."

"And you WON'T leave him again…" spoke a sudden voice from the corner of the room.

Sasha's heart jumped to hear the sudden low voice speaking to her in the darkness. As her eyes fixed themselves, she began to see the light of a small fire floating in the air. She drew closer to see what was underneath; she doubted that the fire was floating on its own. She soon saw a creepy clown mask glowing by the light of the fire above. Sweet Tooth was standing right in front of her; Needles was there.

"What are you doing here?" Sasha gasped. "All that Ratchet told about you is true! You're bad news!"

"You'll soon regret what you just said if you just pay attention to me!" Needles barked in reply. "You have this desire to keep Ratchet close to you forever…so I will help grant your wish."

"You…help me get what I want? Why?"

"Would you rather hear glass shatter, marking the death of your wish? Or would you rather take a bite of the sweet fruit of success? Look here… You see this apple? It looks so good, doesn't it? But I don't want it; I am a villain for crying out loud. I am giving you the chance to take your bite and get what you want. You take what I don't want… Does that make sense to you?"

Sasha grabbed the dark red apple and stared deep into it, hoping to find the answer to her question from what Needles said. "You don't want Ratchet to be near you because he's your nemesis…" she said. "So if I eat this, he'll be near ME instead!"

"Let me warn you…" Needles continued. "Side effects will be groggy. But this is the only way to win your desire."

"Should I trust him…?" Sasha thought as her right hand shook. She was heavily tempted to take her first bite and get it over with. She did it slowly, eagerly, to taste the fruit's sweetness. But right behind her, she heard the shatter of a glass cup, crushed by the large left hand of Needles. Sasha screamed; it felt as if her mind was shattering to pieces.

"What the heck?!" Ratchet thought after hearing that scream. "It sounds like Sasha is ALREADY in danger!" He hurried down the stairs to approach a rather nasty sight; Needles was squeezing Sasha's left arm as he held the blade of his machete to her neck.

"Now for your SECOND question…" Needles teased. "Would you rather live in a fancy mansion, or in an asylum populated by headless patients like you?"

"You better let her go right now!" Ratchet screamed. "I have a weapon I'm eager to use against you!"

"But so do I, you fool!" Needles retorted in reply. "It seems like you're man enough to fight me to win your girl."

"Run, Sasha!" Ratchet exclaimed as he swung his Omniwrench down against Needles' machete. "I'll hold him off!"

Sasha ran very quickly, as fast as her legs could carry her. She broke away from Needles' grasp and headed directly to the nearest closet to hide. She settled herself in there, safe and sound from any possible danger, as she heard the clashing of the two weapons of combat.

"That fool deceived me!" Sasha thought as her throat twitched. "I shouldn't have listened to him! He is not to tell me how Ratchet can stay with me!"

But she only THOUGHT she was safe as long as she was in there. She suddenly heard the heavy breathing of a man right behind him. Sasha took desperate measures to break out of that closet and run towards Ratchet, who was still locked in this battle.

The Lombax looked to his left to see ANOTHER Sweet Tooth walk right out of that closet. It left him in a state of confusion, along with Needles, who became frustrated with the fact that someone was mimicking him for the first time.

"Well, get a load of you, cupcake!" Needles said as he pointed his deadly weapon at the other clown. "You picked the wrong clown to mess with, you fool! There can only be ONE Sweet Tooth!"

"Needles Kane?" the new one replied. "Then…you must be my father! I am Charlie Kane!"

"Charlie?! I remember now… I gave you the same name as my father! Now I see you're following in my footsteps! Together, we can slay these pathetic creatures here and now!"

"Sounds good to me… I was hunting after Ratchet anyway, which is why I ended up in that closet anyway."

"This does not look good!" Ratchet thought as he held his wrench, ready for more action. "We're facing double-trouble now! But I must do all I can to keep Sasha safe!"

Sasha swallowed hard; she needed time enough to head straight back to the guest room of the house and retrieve her laser pistol for combat. Ratchet watched her eyes point upstairs, which gave him the signal to unleash an attack upon the two bloody clowns in distraction.

"Let's feed the urge…!" Needles hissed as he raised his sharp weapon.

Ratchet quickly used his trusty wrench to knock the machete out of Needles' hand, which allowed Sasha to run upstairs to get her weapon. The brave Lombax kept pushing himself to bring down this bloodthirsty villain and his dangerous son. Charlie had a kitchen knife in hand, which he thought would help him in hand-to-hand combat. However, it was very difficult for him to even land the tip of the sharp blade upon the flesh of this cunning warrior.

About fifteen seconds later, Sasha returned with her pistol to fire upon these intruding villains. She managed to scorch Charlie's left arm with the incredibly-hot plasma beam, causing it to take the color of a burnt red. Needles became upset at the sight of his son kneeling on the floor in pain.

"Your heads will be my prize, you pitiful aliens!" Needles exclaimed. "You'll never get away with what you're doing to my boy!"

"Strange…" Ratchet teased in reply. "I feel the same way with you clowns! I'll keep you from laying a finger on Sasha!"

Needles' anger rose to great heights as his actions were interrupted by a small explosion outside. He ran out the door to see what was in the driveway: an ice cream truck ablaze with fire. And right next to the ruins stood a tall man, holding a small ax in his right hand.

"You!" Needles exclaimed. "You destroyed my truck!"

"And YOU destroyed my LIFE!" replied the man as he ran towards the villain.

"Get away from me, Marcus! What is there you can do to defeat me?!"

This split-personality of the fiendish killer, who bore the same name Marcus Kane, knocked Needles back with the ax's handle. He constantly whacked his head with the side of the blade, causing him to stumble to the ground, helpless and unable to defend himself. Needles did not have the chance to run and snatch his machete off the ground. He was pinned to a nearby tree, where he feared he would meet his end.

"Your reign of terror ends here and now!" Marcus exclaimed. Right next to him, a portal opened, floating in midair, waiting for someone to walk right through and enter the mysterious Reverse Dimension.

 **(Originally, this realm was known as the Opposite Dimension. I changed its name here so it can sound cooler.)**

"You can never get rid of me!" Needles screamed. "I'll find you and kill you once I escape from that horrible place!"

"Wanna bet?" Marcus replied, grabbing Needles by the right arm. With one big push, he shoved the fiend through the portal. And right away, the hole in the air closed itself up, sealing the killer in that place where he would be too far away to bother Ratchet and his friends.

Just like that, Ratchet woke up from his flashback. He turned his head to his left, expecting to see Clank at his bedside. But instead of his robot friend, he saw the girl Pupuru standing right there in front of him.

"I hope you're not upset with what I just did…" Ratchet spoke, rubbing his eyes.

"Ratchet…" Pupuru softly replied. "Are you sure you want to keep dwelling on the dark past? We've both suffered many terrible things, and we're supposed to forget all about them."

"I had to do it for a reason… I wanted to know something certain about Sasha… Is she…?" Ratchet could not find any more words to say. Perhaps he did not find what he was looking for in this vision. He was left intrigued, struggling to find the answers in his head that left him wondering. "Is she to be a true love?"

 **I got lots more ideas coming soon. If only the Ratchet & Clank movie would show SOONER! But let's all be patient. You know the old saying: "Necessity is the mother of invention". I can't write the next story until I have the ideas.**


	3. Vengeance of Grimm

PlayStation All-Stars

Volume Two, Season Four

Episode Two

The Vengeance of Grimm

By Cole Bezotte

 **Before we dig right into this long-awaited episode, I want to point out something to you so you won't be confused later on. To all those who have seen the** _ **Ratchet & Clank **_**movie, you should remember who Grimroth Razz is, also after you have played the new game for PS4. Also, this chapter features the first appearance of a new OC! But here's the truth: I did not create this character. It was someone else's turn to put this extraordinary fellow to life. Recently, a new friend of mine, Sofie Spangenberg, introduced me to a female Lombax she made known as Donna. I was very impressed, it inspired me to place Donna in this episode of the series (and maybe some more chapters to come). I hope you enjoy her as much as I do.**

In the main control chamber of the Time Cube, Ratchet could not help but search through the main console's memory banks that revealed all the past times of his many adventures. His mind startled by these finds, he soon stopped and rested his thoughts upon his former mentor and guardian: Grimroth Razz.

Ratchet remembered it all like it was yesterday: after he had left Veldin to stop the dangerous onslaught of the Protopet—started by Captain Qwark—he had not heard from Grim personally since then. Throughout the years, some reports stated that Grim was dead; some others said that he was still alive. Ratchet became very confused by these reports, and he forgot all about it once he reached the dimension where the rest of his species dwelled.

Later, before Ratchet even knew it, Pupuru entered the Time Cube, gazing upon the weary Lombax who had wrapped his thoughts in the past. But it took only a matter of seconds for Ratchet's left ear to twitch and hear the soft breathing of Pupuru. "What are you here for?" Ratchet spoke up after he sighed.

"I just want to see if you're feeling okay," Pupuru replied. "I hate seeing you so unhappy."

"I'm trying to uncover the parts of my past that are still missing. There's something in my head that just keeps bugging me, and I can't seem to make it go away…"

Ratchet was suddenly interrupted by a call he received in the Time Cube's communications relay. He held the correct the button to listen to the message that had just arrived in the data banks.

"Greetings, Ratchet!" spoke a familiar voice through the communicator. "I am glad that you are receiving me well."

"Mr. Grimm?" Ratchet replied. "Is that you?"

"Of course it's me, young fool! There is only one grim reaper in this universe, and you know it! I have so much to tell you…"

"What do you want from me?"

"Listen, you pig! Your stubbornness and hunger to go save the universe has aroused my anger for too long. However, during that entire time, I've been keeping something hidden from you."

"You better spit it out now, Grimm!" Ratchet stopped right there and thought about what he just said. "Wait a second…" he thought aloud. "What did I just call him?"

"Exactly!" Mr. Grimm continued to speak. "That name sounds familiar to you, doesn't it? I'm glad you are finally coming to your senses."

Ratchet took his finger off the button and turned to say something important to Pupuru: "Somehow, he is connected with Grimroth Razz, my old mentor and guardian. I miss that fellow from years ago; he was like my father! But I remember who Kaden is, since I foolishly traveled to the past to meet him. I better find Mr. Grimm and force some desired answers from him."

"Can I come with you?" Pupuru asked in reply.

"Sorry, Pupuru, but I'll be going to him alone. I should let NO ONE come with me, not even Clank. In the meantime—while I'm gone—you can take charge. I hear that Peoria, Illinois, is in danger of being completely overthrown by clown freaks. This can be your chance to put yourself and the rest of the team in action WITHOUT me."

"Are you sure you'll be alright without us?"

"I don't know… I'm merely HOPING to return alive… I'll do my best…"

Those were the last words Pupuru heard from Ratchet before she stepped out of the Time Cube and allowed the Lombax to close the main hatch. She then watched the amazing cube-shaped time-traveling machine slowly vanish before her eyes.

That same minute, Pupuru rushed to the mansion of the League of Heroes and shared the news about Ratchet's solo mission. Then she explained in full detail about Needles' invasion on Peoria, since she had the report in her hand. But right when she mentioned the fact that Ratchet put her in charge of this new mission, everyone froze.

"That Lombax put YOU in charge?!" Captain Qwark exclaimed after hearing everything. "Don't make me laugh! I am a CAPTAIN! Why did he not pick ME?"

"I honestly don't know," Pupuru replied. "But after thinking over this, I feel like I SHOULDN'T be in charge of all of you. It just isn't fair…"

"Listen to her!" Jak thought as he stood in the corner of the living room. "She's so honest! Ratchet really HAS made the right call associating with this girl."

"Then does that mean you'll give ME the position?" Qwark said with clenched fists.

"No…" Pupuru boldly replied. "I'm letting us ALL take equal credit. We'll have no leader on this mission and will fulfill it 'freestyle'."

"That doesn't sound so bad of a plan…" Raiden agreed. "I think we'll all go along with this just fine. Let's load the vans."

Meanwhile, Ratchet set his coordinates to take him directly to Mr. Grimm, in which he was located smack-dab in the middle of Greymoor Cemetery. Once he landed there, the Time Cube's hatch opened to reveal Grimm standing right there with his evil skull-head grinning.

Immediately, Ratchet grabbed his Omniwrench and hurled himself outside to attack the grim reaper. "Stand still!" he demanded as he raised his wrench, ready to strike. "I want answers now!"

"My dear Ratchet…" Mr. Grimm hissed as he swiped his scythe across the Lombax's face in defense. "You wouldn't dare attack your old friend, would you?"

Ratchet struggled to keep himself on his feet, feeling that his face was bleeding severely. "If I'm gonna get what I want…" he continued to exclaim, "…I'll have to FORCE it out of you!"

Moving to the next part of his plan, Mr. Grimm held up his right skeletal hand, shouting a mental command to his enraged opponent. "BE STILL!" he screamed.

Suddenly, Ratchet felt paralyzed; he could not move at all, not even with the commands from his fogged brain. Grimm carried the stiff Lombax back into the Time Cube, ready to reveal what he had hidden from him all these years. He put Ratchet down to the floor and began to speak:

"Your friend…he never died… He is still around, and is in fact in this very room as I speak…"

Even though Ratchet could not move—or even speak—his ears were still alert and active. He listened intently on what was then said from the words of Mr. Grimm:

"It's about time that I fully introduced myself…that you know my full name. Greetings… I am Grimroth Razz… I know what you're thinking, my boy; you want to scream at me and say that I am a complete liar. But what I say is the full truth… Let me explain everything to you…

"After your stubbornness and hunger for fame took over your mind, you went off to save the universe from the Protopet…and Captain Qwark. You completely left me, alone in the business of repairing space vehicles, one after another. I was by myself for so long, constantly asking myself when the day that you would return to me would come. I waited for too long… I was without you for months!

"But a strange fate occurred to me when the Tyhrranoids struck for the first time on Veldin. They had the garage completely surrounded; I was unable to leave by ANY means of escape! They had me finished… Death had struck me like lightning. I was dead for years until a miraculous moment had happened: Needles found me! He took my soul and twisted it to become what lives up the name 'Grim'. He completely transformed me into a human being and gave me the position of a killer; he inspired me to hunt you down and punish you for leaving me for years without warning.

"After Billy Ray Stillwell—the one who killed your mother—had escaped Blackfield Asylum, I attempted to find the junkyard and recover Marcus Kane's formula to create the Gargoyles. And…well…you know the rest of the story… And you know how the spirit of Death transformed me into the grim reaper after I performed my suicidal escape from you and that girl Pupuru. Now you know why I want your soul as my meal! Your ego triggered my hunger for revenge! I want your soul, Ratchet…! This punishment will not only serve you right for your deed, but it will also bring us together…forever! And you'll be under MY CONTROL!"

Then, with a wave of his hand, Grimm brought Ratchet out of his spell and put him back to normal. The first thing the Lombax did after moving himself again was scream out the loudest he ever did: "WHY?!"

"I won't take that for an answer!" Mr. Grimm retorted in reply.

"Tell…me…WHY!" Ratchet shouted as he threw his wrench directly at his former friend. "I should have listened to you for once! I should have done what I was told!"

"And your consequence for it shall be severe, boy! Your soul is mine!"

"No, wait! I know what I did was wrong, but you're not willing to FORGIVE ME?!"

"All that Needles said to me was true. I deserve so much better! I deserve to be IMMORTAL, with your soul at MY command!"

"Needles…!" Ratchet hissed as tears rapidly streamed down his cheeks. "Why should HE even exist?! He twisted you, my old friend, and made you a freak!"

"Believe me, Ratchet…" Mr. Grimm replied, "…THIS is more to my liking! The power is mine! I have the key to all power, thanks to the special Cosmic Key that Needles gave me!"

Ratchet looked closely at the villain's right hand and noticed something shining within the grip of his white fingertips. That was the Cosmic Key that granted Grimm all power. It was what helped him accelerate the process of the Gargoyle production. It was what helped him successfully assassinate Ratchet when they revisited Veldin, before Pupuru used the Time Cube to snatch Ratchet from death (Mr. Grimm attached it to the sickle he hurled at him). It was what helped the spirit of Death transform him into the new grim reaper.

"That must be a heavy source!" Ratchet thought silently, peering into the tiny, crystalline key. "Well, old friend, once I get that thing away from you, you should be power-hungry no more!"

"I shall never again make the mistake of affording you an opportunity to frustrate my wishes!" Mr. Grimm exclaimed as he pointed the Cosmic Key at Ratchet. "Farwell, you pathetic Lombax! Your end has come at last! Your soul is mine!"

A bright red glowing light engulfed Ratchet, about to take a journey out of his mortal flesh and into the collection of souls kept by the grim reaper.

"With no more than a single gesture—a mere random thought—I transmit your physical atoms to my collection of the souls of the dead! So the circle is complete! I have won! The universe is mine!"

"I can't let it happen!" Ratchet thought desperately as he felt himself fading away. "I can't fail my friends! I've got to play it his way!" So, with an urge to continue the life he chose to lead, he pleaded with Mr. Grimm: "Wait! If you want the greatest triumph of all—let me remain! This can be another way to fulfill my judgment! Let me SERVE you! THINK of it—you as the ruler of the universe—with ME as your helpless underling!"

Mr. Grimm was impressed by this proposal. "A most interesting conjecture indeed…" he said as the glowing energy faded away. "Every day of my life, I shall have you to gaze upon—to remind me how complete—how devastating my triumph really is. You'll obey my every command—toady to my slightest whim."

"What other choice is left me?" Ratchet replied. "You hold the Cosmic Key!"

"True—all too true… So long as the Key is mine, I have nothing to fear from you—or from ANYONE!"

"You mean—you'd give me a chance to serve you? You'd allow me to devote my life to your own welfare?"

"Of course! That is the only fitting way for our ordeal to end. You'll be my personal slave—till the end of your days. Thus have I won the most monumental victory of all time!"

"You're like some super-powerful king—but you're stronger by far…" Ratchet continued, as his tears dried. "And it will be my destiny to serve as your first soldier."

"How it gladdens my heart to witness your abject submission—your fawning solicitude…" Mr. Grimm replied. "Come then, defeated one. I shall pledge you to serve me—for all the remaining days of your life."

Satisfied that Mr. Grimm had bought his lie, Ratchet suddenly sprung himself forward in attack. He quickly grabbed Grimm's bony fingers and forced them to pry open, crunching them in the process. "So long as I prevent you from fully closing your fingers over the cube, its power is LESSENED!" he said as he kept Grimm's left hand back with his. "I'll NEVER let go—until you drop it!"

"I cannot destroy you until I have freed myself!" Grimm replied as they carried their fight outside into Greymoor Cemetery. "But—I CAN free myself! The cube still possesses the power for that! Let the ground beneath us split asunder! Let us be separated in the holocaust! I COMMAND IT!"

And just like that, Grimm's command came true; the ground beneath them began to shake and crumble as a narrow trench formed underneath their feet. The two combatants were on each side now, struggling to gain the upper hand.

"But—I'll hold on!" Ratchet hollered as he kept his balance. "No matter what happens—I'll never let go!"

"You MUST let go!" Mr. Grimm roared. "You MUST! I can't be cheated of my supreme triumph now!"

"Can't hold on any longer!" Ratchet thought as he reached out his free hand. Thanks to a magnetic "tractor beam", his Omniwrench came flying towards him in response. He grasped it tightly in his hand, ready to strike Grimm's hand to release the Cosmic Key. "The ground is splitting—as he commanded! Only one chance!—Now or never-! I've got to knock the Key out of his hand—before I lose him!"

Just like that, the Key fell out of Grimm's hand just like the Lombax planned. The grim reaper watched in horror as it fell all the way down the open pit. Like a mad fool, he immediately leaped downward, attempting to chase the Key before it struck the end of the pit. Meanwhile, Ratchet made his way safely back into the Time Cube and transported out of the cemetery to escape the hazards of the trench.

"I had to do it to help him…" Ratchet thought as another tear formed in his eye. "I know he'll return to the surface; a grim reaper is almost like a zombie, except more sane. Why did he have to become like this? My good friend and guardian is now a madman! Yet, there is still so much to this mystery that I don't know about. I must search for clues… I'll set the coordinates to Veldin and search the old garage. Maybe I'll discover some good answers… But I don't know how long this will take me, though…"

Let us move a little to the past, to when Pupuru and the rest of the League of Heroes began their mission to Peoria. Two vans were loaded with all the members, half in each van, with enough seats to fit them all. Though van #1 had Bentley as a steady driver, van #2 had a problem, having Captain Qwark as an almost reckless driver. Lucky for Pupuru, she took the seat in the way back of van #1, with Kat and Talwyn Apogee.

Now Talwyn wanted to speak with Pupuru about something she held secret, which is why she invited her to the way back. "Is something hurting you?" Pupuru asked her as both vehicles took off.

"Something's been bothering me lately…" Talwyn quietly replied. "Ever since Ratchet saved me from that deadly Mr. Grimm, I've been having stronger feelings towards him."

 **(Remember how Mr. Grimm crashed Talwyn's date with Ratchet? That was long ago, but it should still be fresh in our memory.)**

"I don't know why he had left me for so long after that ordeal..." Talwyn continued. "It's as if he's trying to hide something from me. Is he trying not to tell me that he doesn't have feelings towards me? I really need to know, before I can say…"

"What is it?" Pupuru replied anxiously. "What do you need to say?"

"I love him… I've always loved him…!"

Pupuru was shocked to hear that. But she tried hard to ignore that feeling after seeing that tear on Talwyn's cheek. She placed a hand on Talwyn's left shoulder to comfort her, giving her the indication that she would be there to help solve this problem.

Talwyn's feelings did not stay around for very long, though. She felt relaxed after the bus had left Los Angeles itself. But there was still so much of the road to travel on, for it was going to take days to get to Peoria at this rate. The League of Heroes did not dare to take a plane because Peoria's airport was invaded and sealed off as well as the rest of all buildings in the city. These friends were satisfied by this van ride; though it took longer to get to their destination, they were glad to converse with each other for the hours and days that went by.

Finally, after all the days that dragged along, they arrived at where Needles and his goons had taken over. Since the entire population was forced to evacuate, the place looked more like a ghost town than a busy, bustling city. It may have seemed that way, but Needles' minions were placed everywhere in certain positions. But their main base was the state hospital, where Needles himself hid.

And in the head office, on the top floor of the building, the fiend stood at his window and looked outside to see two white vans park at the emergency entrance. "So they've come…" Needles thought, "…and without Ratchet with them this time. This will make it easier for me to kill that girl! Yes, I wanted to gut the pathetic Lombax, but Grimm was kind enough to put him out of the way. Now to finally slaughter Pupuru and fulfill my revenge."

At the corner of the office stood a female human, a patient who was the only one kept alive during the invasion. Needles figured that she could tell him everything he needed to know about the building's technology, inside and out.

"That freak has gone too far…" the girl thought silently. "Once the League of Heroes reaches this floor, I'll reveal myself to this clown and take him down once and for all! It was lucky that the Morph-O-Ray really worked…"

Back outside, both vans unloaded, as the heroes RE-loaded their weapons to prepare for combat. They did not choose to attempt opening the emergency entrance's door, knowing that it would trigger an alarm siren in response.

"A handful of us will have to clear the parking lot of those freaks," Sly Cooper suggested. "That could be where most of the snipers are located."

"You can go ahead and do that…" Angela Cross replied as she refilled her laser pistol with a full ammunition cartridge. "Pupuru and the rest of us should be able to take back this hospital and be rid of those goons. The end of Needles will mean the end of this invasion; all of his troopers will have no choice but to surrender once we kick him out of existence."

Pupuru looked up at the sky; all she could see was the formation of dark storm-clouds as they ran over her head. "Where are you, Ratchet?" she thought. "You've been gone for DAYS! Did something happen to you?"

But she had to shove that behind her now; there was much work to be done. Following the idea, Pupuru ran right through the front entrance along with a few others and found herself dropping to the floor for cover. While on the ground, she allowed Angela, Sasha Phyronix, Talwyn, Jak, Kat, Raven, Sackboy, Clank, Daxter, PaRappa, and Spike to immediately attack those clown soldiers and bring them to their end. Once the room was cleared, Pupuru got right back up to her feet and started to make her way to the top floor. She knew that taking the stairs would be awfully risky, because many clown troopers would most likely move up and down the floors that way. Besides that, there were many security cameras placed in those areas. And so, the best choice Pupuru had was to take an elevator to lift her all the way up to the top floor.

"Taking the stairs would be their method of getting to us faster," she thought as she set the elevator's coordinates to take her to the top floor. "This is my chance to meet face to face with that monster!"

At that same time, the snipers stationed at the parking lot were met with unexpected visitors. Nathan, Raiden, Solid Snake, Sly, Murray, Qwark, Sir Daniel Fortesque, Cole MacGrath, Kratos, and Jin Kazama took down those creeps with their weapons and agility, clearing the area from any more threats.

 **(You probably notice that I took out Neptune/Purple Heart. I had to do it because my former friend Needle Kirby quit after a heated debate. I won't be using any more characters that she requested, especially perverts.)**

All this action put Needles in a state of frustration. His anger rose to great heights, seeing his troopers get put down one by one. "This is completely unacceptable!" he exclaimed, little knowing of his captive girl's hidden smile. "Even without Ratchet, these buffoons are still just as strong!"

"I am not impressed with your shrewdness, you snake!" the girl said behind him.

"If I want to, I can gut you right now!" Needles retorted in reply. "It was by your begging that I let all those innocent patients leave unharmed. I should have killed them all when I had the chance!"

"Sir!" called a sudden voice from behind. A lone clown "commander" entered the office with an iPad in hand, showing Needles the full radar. "At first, I saw only one Lombax on the radar, which was the female coming up this way. But now there are MORE coming!"

Needles looked up at the dark sky and noticed the Time Cube materializing in midair. Ratchet had come to the scene after his ordeal with Grimm, to help settle another score with the psychopathic man. "Grimm had failed his mission!" Needles shouted angrily. "Now BOTH Lombaxes are coming my way!"

"No, sir…" the commander sadly replied. "All THREE of them!"

"There's a THIRD?! WHERE!?"

The captive girl smiled as she suddenly began to change form. Needles watched in shock as she transformed right before her eyes. "Another Lombax!" Needles screamed. "Impossible!"

"Like I said…" the female Lombax said, "…the Morph-O-Ray really works! And you can call me Donna from now on…"

With those words said, Donna landed a hard blow upon the fiend's head, knocking him down along with the commander. It was right then that Pupuru had reached the office just in time to see the enemy at the mercy of the new hero.

"It looks like you already beat me to it…" Pupuru said shyly as she looked down at the floor.

"I heard about the situation here less than a week ago…" Donna happily replied, "…and so I wanted to come and help you. My name is Donna, by the way."

"Pleased to meet you… I'm Pupuru."

Enraged, more than ever, Needles kicked his way back up to his feet and drew a large machete from his belt. "SHUT…UP…AND…BLEED!" he screamed as he took his first swing.

Donna quickly grabbed Pupuru and dove right down to the floor to dodge the deadly blade of the machete. Then, with a fast leg, she kicked Needles' left knee to catch him off-balance. Needles grunted in pain as he fell down onto both knees, as his frustration increased.

"Now's my chance to knock him out cold," Donna thought as she slipped behind the villain in secret.

Needles stood back up to his feet and furiously took a swing at Pupuru's bag of magic, causing it to spill out and leave Pupuru without a weapon. Then he lifted his blade up for the tip to touch Pupuru's neck; he felt the urge to push it right through and take Pupuru's breath away.

"I've waited a long time for this moment!" Needles exclaimed. "And now I wish to enjoy it!"

Right behind him, Donna's feet immediately started to run at high speed, like a rocket. She dashed towards the madman, hoping to whack his head as hard as she could. But Needles was aware that she was right behind him, and so he reached his free hand out to stop her in her tracks. He grabbed her by the neck and held her like that as tight as he could. "Prepare to be put down!" Needles said to her.

"I can't let it end now!" Donna thought, struggling to break free of the violent grip. "He'll kill us both in cold blood!"

"Please don't make this more difficult than it already is…" Needles said in exaggeration. "As you can see, I have my hands full. I want to make my sweet victory last as long as it could. I have one last question for the both of you: are you ready to face death like you never have?"

Donna wished that she could kick Needles where she hung. But the pain in her neck was too great, she could not control her legs; they dangled where they were, not attempting to move a muscle. All Donna could do attempt to press her thumbs hard against a certain vein in Needles' arm, which caused the muscles in his fingers to react the opposite way. His fingers separated from each other, and Donna fell to the floor, free from the grim grip of the madman.

"I'll have to thank science for that!" Donna thought as she twisted Needles' arm. "For every action, there must be an equal and opposite reaction. That vein went IN, so his fingers moved OUT!"

Needles was no longer able to feel his right arm; he figured that Donna had also burst open that vein with all the strength she had. And having his arm twisted, it seemed that it was no longer "alive".

"I've underestimated human nature…" Needles thought as his spirit left the flesh and blood. "Next time, I'll control the body of a MONSTER! I'll have stronger muscles for a change!"

Pupuru watched as Needles' ghostly form soared out of the hospital, knowing that one day she would come face-to-face with him again one day. "I think that should mark the end of this battle…" she said as she looked out the window. "I see there are no more troopers present, so that must wrap it up."

"It isn't over yet," Donna replied as she examined Pupuru's cut neck. "I want to make sure you're in one piece before we leave this place."

"I'll be fine, really… It's just a flesh wound. Say… I want to ask you something interesting…"

"What is it?"

"I enjoyed seeing you action, so I'm wondering… Would you like to become part of the League of Heroes?"

"Oh, Pupuru… That sounds very tempting, but I'm not sure…"

"I won't be disappointed if you say yes OR no," Pupuru assured.

"Well…" Donna replied shyly. "I don't know what to do now… My home is on the planet Rilgar; it takes a long while to get from there to Earth without a special hyper-drive. I don't know whether to stay here or keep myself at my home. Perhaps I'll sleep on it… I can give you my answer next time we meet, alright?"

"Deal! You enjoy yourself… It's been a pleasure fighting side-by-side with you on this adventure."

"I think I've enjoyed it as much as you did."

About an hour later, after all was cleared and settled, Ratchet walked to the entrance of the hospital to see that Pupuru was still there. When the girl saw him coming towards her, she went over and embraced him, telling him how she missed him.

"I'm alright, Pupuru…" Ratchet assured her, but with no smile. "I'm just not in a mood…"

"What did you find out about, Ratchet?" Pupuru replied. "What did you learn?"

"All I learned was that my old friend became a skeletal backstabber. Grimroth Razz IS Mr. Grimm! And he never told me until now. I hate the various scum of this universe! There are just so many people who can't stay sane and keep their good nature within. I know that Grim and I will meet again someday; but I'LL be telling the story from there…"

 **Man, the people of this world make me so sick, I want to leave. Suicide ain't cool, though; it only makes things worse. I keep on begging God to touch the hearts of these corrupt people and change them into what He wants them to be.**

 **Whew! I've planned this story months ago, and I haven't seen the Ratchet & Clank movie until now! I LOVED it! Now I know that I'm getting the story canon correct (in some way, I think). I hope you all enjoyed this. God bless you!**


	4. The Dark Past

PlayStation All-Stars

Volume Two, Season Four

Episode Three

The Dark Past

By Cole Bezotte, Sofie Spangenberg, and Forrest Eaton

 **I'm letting these guys be my new partners. For merely one of the reasons, they have something that my former partner Needle Kirby does not: they are reasonable with content!**

Along the way back to Los Angeles, Ratchet told about his recent ordeal to Pupuru. He spilled everything that Mr. Grimm had told him, about how he really was Grimroth Razz, the Lombax's old friend. After having gotten rid of the Cosmic Key, which was swallowed up by the earth as well as Grimm himself, Ratchet spent the few days searching for clues at his old garage; sure enough, he found the floor stained with Grim's blood, untouched and never cleansed.

"So an enemy we're going up against is really a friend…" Pupuru sadly said after she listened intently to everything.

"It's a sad truth," Ratchet replied with a sigh. "Why would Needles dig deep into my past to bring out the darkness and despair that continues to haunt me?"

"Oh no… I forgot about MY memory! Eggman still has it!"

At that same moment, at the forbidden laboratory of Dr. Eggman, the mad scientist finally felt the urge to yank the hidden compact disc out of Orbot's head. He stared deep into its shiny outer shell, looking at the reflection which was himself. All his recent plans had been foiled, leaving his laboratory in ruin thanks to William Sparks' demolition derby. Now was Eggman's chance to share Pupuru's memory with the whole universe and reveal her dark past.

"She's had this coming for a long time!" he exclaimed as he exited his lab via a giant hole in the wall. "Bring a band of EggBots with you! We'll need to invade any nearby television station and harness their broadcasting system."

"Like a madman…" Cubot stuttered, "…he is…well…a madman…"

Dr. Eggman furiously drove his way to the station in Brooklyn that aired _Our Miraculous World_ , with his left hand holding the disc, and the other hand on the steering wheel of his vehicle. He had recreated his own version of the vehicle known as Warthog, knowing well its functions from when he had driven it in Master Hand's new world.

 **(That big story** **"** **The Key to Freedom** **"** **was a crossover masterpiece! Remember that Twisted Metal contest that everyone competed in?)**

It took him at least ten rushed minutes to make his way there, as the pulse in his right arm began to quicken. He did not feel anything in his other arm though, since it was roboticized, so it almost felt like he did not even have a left arm in the first place. But his mind was set, and his plan was to be operated on immediately.

Meanwhile, back at the mansion of the League of Heroes (like I've said for the billionth time), Captain Qwark eagerly turned on the television set in the living room, wanting to see the footage of the recent battle displayed publicly. But right when the news channel was about to show the footage, the signal was suddenly cut off and replaced by something rather unfriendly.

Dr. Eggman had successfully invaded the station and inserted the compact disc in the main projection feed system. Pupuru's memory was on air, showing every single dark detail that she had in her dream and in real life. There was absolutely no use to change the channel; the memory showed everywhere, all across the universe. Those who wanted to keep their TV sets on noticed the dark past that Pupuru had been keeping away from the public.

And as for Pupuru herself, she was sickened by what was going on. All her friends were seeing this right before their very eyes. She almost wanted to beg them to stop watching it, but it almost seemed like no use to her. Instead, she felt like locking herself away and ending her own life by knife there and then. With tear-stained cheeks, she began to dash her way up the stairs to her room.

"No you don't!" Ratchet exclaimed as he and Kat chased her up the stairs. "Stop where you are!"

"Let me guess…" Pupuru whimpered as she stumbled where she stopped. "You want to kill me off…? To end it here and now…?"

"What the frick are you thinking?!" Ratchet replied. "Why do you think I brought you here in the first place?! I already know everything that happened, Pupuru. Marcus Kane gave me your memory before I brought you out of Blackfield Asylum."

"And I know all about it too…" Kat came in. "I knew we made the right call to bring you here. I wanted to be a good friend, and I'm still wanting to carry it on."

"I know it's dangerous that people know all about you now," Ratchet continued. "But that does not mean that it should be the end of you. I know people will call you a freak for what you've said and done all those times, but I know how much it hurts inside. When I recognized you after gaining your memory, I really wanted to come here to Earth to help you. But when the human race looked at me, they already hated me! They considered me an absolute freak for not being of this world. It was by helping you that I gained unity with the human race.

"And I still want to help you. All those enemies we've faced over the months have gone too far this time. I promise you, Pupuru, I will do everything in my power to stop this menace…"

Slowly, Pupuru embraced Ratchet, placing all her trust in him for what must be done. But once Ratchet took off to find Eggman, she hid herself in her room and locked the door so no one could enter. If anyone was to find her, she would have to beg herself to be gone for good (as her own feelings told her).

"It's working!" Dr. Eggman exclaimed happily. "It's actually working!" All the workers in the station were bound and gagged, which kept them from stopping him in his diabolical scheme. Though they were helpless, Ratchet was not, and so help was on the way. But for now, the madman enjoyed himself while he could. Pupuru's memory was airing on every single channel.

"Look at all the phone calls, text messages, and tweets I've been receiving lately!" Eggman continued as he held up his cell phone. "They say that I'm right about this! They wish Pupuru was dead! I'm so happy I could cry!"

"But what about Sonic?" Cubot interrupted. "He's your REAL nemesis! Why are you ignoring him?"

"I'm simply taking a break from him for now," Eggman answered in reply. "I say the environment and authorities on Earth are much weaker than on Mobius! Have I never been right?"

"But you still have Needles to compete against," Orbot pointed out. "He should be jealous of your success right now."

"Or…maybe he'll never show his face again after what I've done," Eggman replied. "He'll HAVE to admit that I'm the better villain! Now let us simply sit back and watch the rest of this juicy stuff. I feel rather proud of myself for coming up with this!"

At that same time, another friendly being had taken notice of the horrible truth that Dr. Eggman was exposing. The Lombax known as Donna had just landed her ship back on her home planet Kerwan (though she was born on Fastoon). She was relieved to be back to where she's lived all these years, back to the comforts of home.

However, the program on her television set was cut off and replaced by the footage of Pupuru's memory. While Donna was in the kitchen preparing her evening meal, her left ear twitched as it noticed that something was not right. She recognized Pupuru's voice right off the bat, and immediately ran back to her living room to see what was going on.

Though Donna had a dark childhood herself (concerning the death of her mother), never before had she beheld anything far worse. What was displayed right in front of her was nothing more than the death of Pupuru's parents, the big nightmare she had dreamt of, and the many harsh circumstances that came her way after awakening.

"This should be all nothing but lies!" Donna thought as she forced her set to power off. "It must be false evidence put up by another menace… Yet I can't help but think that it all looks so real! If what I've seen is true, then why didn't Pupuru tell me about this in the first place? Perhaps I'm thinking differently of her… She'd never dare spill anything horrid that she had faced. I almost feel like holding this grudge towards the human race for their insane personalities and unsafe world. They've gone mad…!

"On the OTHER hand…" Donna continued as she headed to her ship, "…Ratchet is there on Earth to PROTECT her in the first place! He formed this League of Heroes to defend Earth from the freaks and killers that live. And if I HAD helped defeat that clown freak, then that proves that I'm that same kind of hero Pupuru is! I'll find the source of that broadcast, and that fiend better be sorry for what he did!"

Quickly, Donna powered her ship back on and soared off into the stars again, flying at top speed to her previous destination: Earth.

Back at the news station, Dr. Eggman was satisfied to see the horrifying moments that happened in Pupuru's dream. After finishing his bag of popcorn, he demanded Cubot that he fetch him another full bag.

"I'm almost all out of popcorn seeds," Cubot complained as he activated his built-in popcorn machine.

"I don't care!" Eggman interrupted. "I just want some snacks to settle my pounding heart as I watch this beautiful stuff!"

"On the contrary, boss…" Orbot objected, "…you have NO heart!"

"Then that proves that I am perhaps the MOST evil person who ever existed! As for Needles, he's a GHOST, so he doesn't count."

Right then, Eggman's cruel celebration was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the Time Cube materializing behind him. Ratchet had come to the scene just in time to dismantle Eggman's live satellite feed. "You better turn that off right now!" Ratchet shouted as he pointed his Omniwrench at the mad scientist.

"Incredible!" Dr. Eggman replied, breaking off the subject. "You have a contraption that travels through time and space! I'd love to go for a ride and visit the girl, to see how she's reacting to this favorite show of mine."

"You monster!" With that, Ratchet's wrench went flying right for Eggman's face. He would have gone for the machine instead, but his anger let him attack the enemy instead.

Eggman's glasses fell right off, revealing the dark eyes that hid behind them. A pair of black eyes with red pupils stared right at the Lombax with intimidation. "You won't like it when I get angry!" he sneered as he raised his eyes upward. "After Sonic partially roboticized me, my sight became distorted. Nowadays, these eyes of mine get short-circuited at the worst moments! And I can't control them!"

Ratchet was startled to see a long energy beam shoot out from Dr. Eggman's eyes, blasting at the large video monitor that hung directly above him. The Lombax was not aware of what was happening at first, but he was finally able to see what was falling down on top of him once he turned around. He only saw it for a split second before everything went completely dark. He did not wake up.

"Congratulations, sir!" Orbot exclaimed in triumph. "You have just squashed a major enemy! Can this be the end of the Lombax race?"

"It actually ISN'T!" Eggman gasped in reply as he sniffed the air. "I smell ANOTHER ONE!"

Everyone heard a sudden scream come from Cubot; they turned to see his mechanical head get blasted off by the energy bolt of a shock pistol. And the hands that held the weapon was none other than Donna herself; she had come to dismantle Eggman's broadcast just like she promised herself.

"It's funny…" Donna teased as she pointed her gun at the doctor, "…I thought there would actually be someone more THREATENING running this operation."

Dr. Eggman held his hands in the air as if Donna was seriously going to fire at him in cold blood. But her aim changed as she instead blasted the computer that contained the disc that held Pupuru's memory. The data was completely destroyed, along with the major source that contained it. It was no longer able be aired anywhere.

Eggman's rage rose to a new hight as his blood boiled at the sight of his scheme being foiled. But such frustration caused his eyes to malfunction again, causing another energy beam to shoot out. His aim went wild this time, but the beam ended up scorching Donna's right shoulder severely, leaving a black burn.

Distracted by the pain in her arm, Donna did not notice Dr. Eggman recollecting his glasses and picking up the unconscious Ratchet in his arms. He ran right into the Time Cube and immediately left the station as he set the coordinates to another location: one farther away from where the recent ordeal had taken place.

"This is the only way to get rid of him…" Eggman thought as the Time Cube landed in the exact spot he desired. "I know that the monitor hit the correct spot on Ratchet's head that would cause him to lose all his memory. This is the perfect chance to ditch him somewhere else where he would have to start a new life. He will no longer be with the rest of his buddies in Los Angeles! This really turns from one situation to another!"

The madman threw Ratchet out into the streets of Las Vegas, Nevada, then quickly traveled back to his laboratory in Brooklyn. What would become of the great Lombax now?

 **It looks like Ratchet is in a fix! What will happen when he recovers? We'll find out next time, when a musical group is introduced.**


	5. Ratchet is Missing

PlayStation All-Stars

Volume Two, Season Four

Episode Four

Ratchet is Missing

by Cole Bezotte, Sofie Spangenberg, and Forrest Eaton

 **For months on end, I've been seeing such cruel content everywhere I go! I'm really getting sick of it! And if you ask me why, I'll tell you that I'm a Christian, so there's a GOOD reason to be bothered by this. I provide surfers of the internet with clean content for even KIDS to enjoy, on YouTube, FanFiction, and DeviantArt. So don't test me, because this is something I'm SERIOUS about!**

You know what, I'm not even going to say it. Let's just go back to the freaking mansion, shall we?

It had been approximately fifteen minutes of silence that Pupuru heard while she was locked away in her room. The tears on her face finally dried up, and calmness had overtaken her mind. "Is it all over?" she thought as she reached for the door. "Did Ratchet cut off the signal?"

But right when Pupuru was about to step right out, she heard a sudden noise behind her. At her window was the Lombax known as Donna, with Orbot in the grip of her right hand. Recognizing her right away, Pupuru opened the window for her, letting her into the house. "Donna!" she spoke to her. "You're here… But have you heard from Ratchet?"

"I didn't see him anywhere," Donna replied as she still held Orbot by the neck. "I managed to destroy that mad genius' satellite feed though. But right after I received this aching wound, he escaped me."

Pupuru cringed at the sight of the black burn in Donna's right arm. "Don't worry…" she said. "I'll help heal that for you. Wait a minute! So you're telling me Ratchet wasn't there to help dismantle the live showing?"

"Sadly, he wasn't there…" Donna replied. "But I did manage to take this troublesome bot into custody. He's got a lot of questions to answer."

"He's the one who extracted my memory! He's going to pay for what he did! I hope he feels what it's like to have his boss abandon him like that."

"He's the boss…" Orbot sadly replied, "…so he does whatever he wants. Please take it easy on me, I am very fragile…"

"First thing's first…" Pupuru demanded as she sneered at the captive robot, "…Where's Ratchet?!"

Speaking of Ratchet, we will now turn our attention to him. He did not fully awaken until a half-hour after Dr. Eggman abandoned him in another city. Once his big eyes opened, he found himself on a comfortable bed, his head elevated on a firm pillow. The room he was placed in was not familiar to him, but taking one look at a nearby doctor made him realize he was put in a hospital.

"Ah, so you're finally awake!" the doctor spoke after noticing Ratchet. "That's a pretty ugly bump you have on the back of your demeanor."

"It still hurts so much…" Ratchet whimpered as he felt his head. "Where the heck am I? No, wait… More importantly, WHO am I?"

"Just tell me… Do you have any job, activity, or appointment that you need to attend to?"

"Anything? I…I can't think straight… It feels like my mind has been fogged up so much. I can't remember a thing…"

"Amnesia, eh? Well, mister…Ratchet, you'll find all your answers in due time. In the meantime, why don't you go out and get yourself a job so you can pay off the hospital bill. I'll keep your possessions here for safekeeping."

"Ratchet? How do you even know that's my name?"

"I guessed that's what it was when I saw it etched in this big ol' wrench. I can already tell you're a pretty handy fella, so you'd do good as a mechanic. But I'm not here to tell you your job, so just go and find one adequate enough to pay you good."

After checking Ratchet's reflexes, the kind doctor sent him on his way with a new outfit. He had to keep the usual clothes at the hospital so they can be studied; the minor tears and marks from the recent battle, mixed with the Lombax's DNA could possibly trace back to what happened beforehand. Ratchet was sent off with a blank white T-shirt and grey cargo shorts, and wore black "President" boots (from Thursday Boot company). He was given a red cap to hide the hideous bump on his head, which was good enough for him.

"So he wants me to get a job…" Ratchet thought as he walked through the streets. "This day just keeps getting strange. I guess if I get enough money to pay off the hospital bill, I can then free myself to go off and find the rest of my past. I do remember how I got this bad bump; having been hit on the head so hard by a TV screen, then getting thrown to the streets of this busy city. Say… This place looks an awful lot like Las Vegas; I see a bunch of casinos and bars everywhere. I guess it's easy for me to find a job in ANY of them!"

Suddenly, Ratchet stopped in his tracks once his left ear twitched at a sudden sound. It was tuned to a music that was playing from a nearby pizzeria. "That seems pretty attractive…" Ratchet continued. "That should be my first stop."

He followed the sound all the way over to Happy Vito's (first seen at Midtown), where its fancy design attracted him to immediately walk in and enter. There was nobody there at the moment, except the baker and host of the restaurant. But the music was coming from a group of four, on a small stage, rehearsing for a show they were putting up that night. Ratchet could not help but sit himself down at the first table in sight and listen closely at this rock music.

Such perfect rhythm and sound were in place, as well as the lyrics being so catchy. He could not help but sing along to it:

 _Can you and I be truthful now?_

 _What_ _'re you runnin' away from?_

 _And then you numb the pain to make it through somehow_

 _What_ _'re you runnin' away from?_

 **(The song is "Open till Midnight" by Level, which was then remade by Adema.)**

Suddenly, the band stopped their movement. The lead guitarist/vocalist looked over his shoulder to speak with the bassist: "Chad, is that you adding the vocals?"

"No, that's not me," the bassist replied. "I haven't been singing this whole time."

Then the leader looked ahead of himself to see Ratchet at the table. Ratchet pretended not to notice, so he turned his attention to the baker tossing the pizza crust dough. "Hey you there!" the singer called to him. "Come on up here, man!"

With no other choice, Ratchet got up and walked up onto the stage. He didn't know what was coming for him, but he did not notice the slight smile that the leader bore.

"Say, what's your name, sonny?" he spoke to him.

"Eh…the name's Ratchet," the Lombax nervously replied. "That's all I've been able to remember so far."

"Pleased to meet you, buddy. The name is Bruce Corley. I lead this band of mine place to place, trying to get signed into a record company. All we've been doing so far is music for fun. But we ain't giving up yet. Please, meet my mates!"

Ratchet shook hands with the rhythm guitarist/backing vocalist Curt Borders, then the bassist Chad Whitaker, and finally the drummer Randy Bustos.

 **(Note: I hope you know these characters' designs after seeing them on DeviantArt. And as a crazy fact Curt Borders is actually a real guitar-playing friend of mine, formerly of the Barley House Band. I put him in this story for appreciation.)**

"We heard you singing over there," Curt said after fully greeting Ratchet. "We couldn't help but notice the good vocals coming out of you."

"So we're simply asking you to sing with us as we wrap up our rehearsal," Bruce continued. "And if you do it good, you can perform WITH us tonight!"

"I can?" Ratchet replied, excited. "Thank you guys so much!"

The band, known simply as Solar Eclipse, took it from the top again, starting the song as they had done before. Now was Ratchet's turn to take Bruce's microphone and sing like he had done merely a minute ago.

 _She needed shelter from the rain, she saw it on the sign_

 _It said_ _"We're open till midnight"_

 _I_ _'m sorry by the way, I came here just the other day_

 _And you look so familiar_

 _And maybe you and I can go inside and start the night_

 _With a friendly conversation_

 _Can you and I be truthful now?_

 _What you runnin_ _' away from?_

 _And then you numb the pain to make it through somehow_

 _What you runnin_ _' away from?_

 __And just like that, Ratchet was accepted.

Many miles away, back to the (UGH!) mansion, Orbot was put in the medical center for interrogation. If he did not spill the truth, he would have a part of him disassembled, limb by limb. He was not cracking just yet.

"If you don't say it now…" Talwyn Apogee threatened, "…your cube buddy won't be repaired. You better say something or else you won't have your brother back!"

"Okay!" Orbot shrieked in fear. "I'll talk! After Dr. Eggman's scheme was foiled, he took Ratchet away into the Time Cube and transported himself away. I don't know where they could be now!"

"Perhaps I can scan for the Time Cube's activity," Clank spoke as he pressed a button on his chest. "I can connect myself with its mainframe and locate it." After a few seconds of a full radar search, Clank found the Time Cube, located at the lab of Dr. Eggman. "I do not know what the Time Cube is still doing at Brooklyn…" Clank continued. "But I do not detect any life forms aboard. I cannot find him…"

"I can contact the boss," Orbot suggested in reply. "He can tell us what he did to the creature." However, once Orbot began speaking to Eggman through his built-in communicator, the mad genius said that Ratchet was not there with him, leaving out the fact that he ditched him in the streets of Vegas. "He is nowhere to be found…" Orbot said after hanging up the call.

"Then it must be true…" Clank sadly said. "Ratchet is missing!"

Everyone who had attended the pizzeria for dinner had enjoyed Solar Eclipse' performance very much. Much applause filled the air with a loud sound of cheer. Even the manager of the building liked the show very much, he was ready to leave the band off with a load of money.

After the last song was over, a tall man in a suit walked right up to the stage and introduced himself: "How do you do, gentlemen? I am G.A. Gregory, head of Legendary Records. I couldn't help but notice your stunning talent and skill in rock and roll, I am willing to sign you into my record company and help produce your first album. What do you say?"

"Well…" Ratchet nervously replied. "Actually…I'm just a guest singer tonight. I won't be…"

"Never mind that," Bruce interrupted. "This little man is one of us now. We gladly accept the offer! We've got lots of good songs to introduce to the world!"

"Perfect!" Gregory exclaimed in excitement. "Now if you would just sign this contract, and we'll all be good to go!"

Donna's burn was treated and began to heal slowly over time, as she soared her ship back to Brooklyn in hopes of retrieving the Time Cube from Dr. Eggman. She succeeded in taking it back from the evil scientist, but once she brought it back to Los Angeles within another couple of days' time, she realized it was inoperable. No matter how many times she tossed it onto the ground, the Time Cube simply would not expand itself in response.

The Time Cube was supposed to start out as a small handheld object, like a child's block toy. And once the right user tossed it to the ground, it would increase in size and expand to a life-sized transportation system that traveled through time and space. Donna did not know until now that she was not the one to use it.

Pupuru however was granted instant access to the Time Cube and plunged herself inside to examine the controls. Only Pupuru and Ratchet were the masters of this marvelous machine. Now was the girl's chance to find the Lombax friend of hers, using the very powerful radar reader.

"Pupuru!" Clank exclaimed suddenly. "The Time Cube has given me Ratchet's location! He's in Las Vegas!"

"What could he be doing there?" Pupuru replied, worried.

"I have logged onto a news website that told me about his whereabouts. He is currently the lead vocalist of a rock and roll band known as Solar Eclipse."

"But…why would he…just…go and do it…and…" Pupuru stuttered, finding nothing to say. She thought Ratchet had abandoned her for this, a ridiculous reason.

"Hold on…" Clank continued. "There's more… It says that Ratchet had paid a hospital bill with the money he earned after a live performance. The doctor states clearly that he had a…loss of memory!"

"Then he has amnesia! He doesn't remember anything! Clank, I have to get to Vegas! I must bring him back here so his memories will return!"

"A mere 'familiar sight' won't cause someone to remember. Just go to the next concert and talk to him; pretend you are merely a fan girl. Oh, and bring Talwyn with you; Ratchet will need the right girl to have a crush on."

"Talwyn already told me that she loves Ratchet so much. I really hope this works…"

Long before Pupuru and Talwyn took the Time Cube to visit Vegas, Solar Eclipse already had it made. Their fame stretched all across the state, which would soon extend throughout the whole United States. They rapidly wrote songs, which prepared for their first album to be released by Legendary Records. It was nothing but fame and money for them.

Until one day, in his hotel room, a heavy thought occurred to Ratchet. He knew he was going to be late for rehearsal that night, but something was bothering him very much. He still pondered over the fogged brain of his, attempting to probe farther back into the past. Still, he only drew a blank, with no familiar memory in his head.

"This is really bothering me now!" Ratchet thought as he felt his held. "If only that bump would go away sooner! Back at that news station, someone threw that monitor down onto me…if only I can remember his name. And for what purpose was I there? I see the face of a girl, but what's her name?! That does it! I'm going back to the hospital to find some clues. The doctor still has those possessions of mine, so maybe I can draw something from there…"

The Lombax did just as he thought, rushing back to the doctor who found him unconscious on the street.

 **(Read that sentence again. You'll find something familiar in the words.)**

"Ah, so you're back!" the kind doctor said as Ratchet walked right into his office. "You paid your bill successfully, so what would you want now?"

"I need some answers…" Ratchet replied sternly. "I must see my possessions, which you keep here."

"Help yourself… You want them back, go ahead and take them."

Ratchet anxiously examined the Omniwrench that had his name etched on its side. He expected something to come to his mind, but still nothing helped. But suddenly, an idea struck his head. He turned to the doctor and asked him to hit his head hard with the wrench.

"You really want me to do that?" the doctor replied, startled. "You still have so bad of a lump on that demeanor of yours! Are you sure you want to be hurt more?"

"My memories mean a lot to me!" Ratchet answered as he turned his back to him. "And I want them back badly! You must hit me in that same spot as before. I'll stand still for you."

"I think this will more likely make it worse for you. If this is what you really want, then I guess I have no choice but to do it then. Here goes nothing…"

With those words heard, Ratchet braced himself for another painful hit on the back of his head. Once the wrench hit the vital spot, he fell forward and fell facedown until the floor. Nothing resulted except a worse bump on his head. The Lombax stood up to his feet, as new thoughts rapidly swirled through his mind:

"Why am I even here in Vegas? I should be at Brooklyn right now, dismantling Eggman's satellite feed! I failed you, Pupuru! Wait…hold your horses, boy! Tonight's performance will be on live TV, so everyone will watch it. That can cut right through Pupuru's memory that's airing!"

Little did Ratchet even know that Donna had already done the job for him. After he went back to his hotel room—along with his belongings—he sat down on his bed with a notepad and pencil and began to write something on it. "I'm really sorry Pupuru is going through these rough times," he thought as he wrote on. "The best thing I can do for now is plan a song to sing to her. I better share this with the other guys once I get to the theater. Lucky thing we're now on tour, and our next destination is Los Angeles, so I'll get back home in good time. I hope Pupuru is excited to see me…"

About an hour later, the concert began. A crowd of countless people were there to see Solar Eclipse bring out what seemed like their best. Although, some people considered every show their "real" best, as they just began to receive their fame.

The audience cheered as the band started the first few bars of the first song in the setlist. Ratchet boldly sang:

 _One time a thing occurred to me_

 _What's real and what's for sale_

 _Blew a kiss and tried to take it home_

 _It isn't you, isn't me_

 _Search for things that you can't see_

 _Going blind out of reach_

 _Somewhere in the vasoline_

 _Two times and it has rendered me_

 _Punch drunk and without bail_

 _Think I'd be safer all alone_

 _Flies in the vasoline we are_

 _Sometimes it blows my mind_

 _Keep getting stuck here all the time_

 _It isn't you, isn't me_

 _Search for things that you can't see_

 _Going blind out of reach_

 _Somewhere in the vasoline_

 **("Vasoline" by Stone Temple Pilots)**

The Time Cube finally reached its intended destination, as Pupuru and Talwyn were anxious to see Ratchet and bring him back to LA. But they wanted to see Ratchet sing before they put their plan into action; never before had they seen their Lombax friend have the gift of music.

It took the two girls a difficult time to make their way through the crowd to see Solar Eclipse on stage. They were very surprised to hear the voice of their friend sing right out to them. "I've never heard such a talented voice!" Talwyn thought as she smiled. "I really hate to break him away from the rest of the group, but it has to be done. I'll wait until he's done with those beautiful songs. I don't think he even recognizes me and Pupuru down here."

But Ratchet actually did notice them in the audience. He smiled and waved a little before moving on to the next song, which was what he picked for Pupuru:

 _The day will come I tell myself_

 _My present situation makes me think too much, too much_

 _It all revolves around her_

 _This life that I_ _'m living means nothing without her_

 _I_ _'d shed my skin for you_

 _What would you want me to do?_

 _I take luck for you_

 _Just tell me why I_ _'m so alone_

 _Alone_

 _This problem here is my fault, my fault_

 _It_ _'s not that I don't care, but are you drawn, or are you a love?_

 _It_ _'s the same thing I'm not good enough for your needs_

 _I want to know why my life has to be this way_

 _I_ _'d shed my skin for you_

 _What would you want me to do?_

 _I take luck for you_

 _Just tell me why I_ _'m so alone_

 _Alone_

 _Now you see why_

 _Who you lying to? Will I survive?_

 _I like what you put me through_

 _'_ _Cause I feel almost alive_

 _Almost alive!_

 _I_ _'d shed my skin for you_

 _(I_ _'d shed my skin for you)_

 _What would you want me to do?_

 _(What would you want me to do?)_

 _I will always love you, but I can_ _'t live like this_

 **("Skin", starting with the first draft by Adema—when known as Edema—then transitioning into the modern version—the clean version I made and put on YouTube.)**

Pupuru shed a tear after hearing that song; it was right then that she realized that Ratchet had no longer forgotten about her. She listened intently to the rest of the songs that Solar Eclipse played, remembering how lucky she was to have a friend like Ratchet all the way through.

Once the concert was over, Ratchet was just about ready to head to where they were serving pizza at the lobby and meet with Pupuru and Talwyn. But before he took off, he had something very important to say to the rest of his bandmates. "I just want to let you know about something big…" he told them before leaving.

"Go ahead, man," Curt replied. "We're all listening."

"Our show in LA will actually be my last time as lead vocalist. There is where I actually belong; I've been in this band right after I lost all my memory. But I remember everything now, and I know where I'm supposed to be. You guys just have to understand…"

"Buddy…" Bruce replied with a smile. "We all understand. In fact, we'll do just as fine without you. We will miss you though; it's been a real pleasure playing on stage with you. Solar Eclipse will still live."

"Thanks guys! I'm counting on you to rock on!"

"Oh, and after our new show, there should be our first album at your doorstep."

"Did I EVER tell you two how much I missed you?" Ratchet spoke to the two girls at the lobby. "This pizza is like our feast for reunion!"

"I really appreciated that song you sang for me, Ratchet," Pupuru replied, embracing the Lombax she had missed for so long. "My friend here is not just a hero, but a rock star."

"You will see me on stage again when we get back to Los Angeles. I'll be glad to rock out again…if only head would stop aching…"

"Word of advice, Ratchet…" Talwyn replied with a smile, "…put some ice on your head. You really need it…"

 **I hope you really enjoyed this. Apparently, I am out of ideas now. I used up all the fresh material I had in store, but now is your chance to request the next story plot. What will happen next? That is now YOUR choice!**


	6. SF: The League of Heroes Born

Coleiosis Productions presents…  
PlayStation All-Stars Volume Two, Special Feature

The League of Heroes Born

by Cole Bezotte, Sofie Spangenberg, and Forrest Eaton

 **Remember how I used to name that contraption the "Time Box"? Then I slipped later on and stuck the name "Time Cube" to it. Well, my friends, this here special feature will tell you the tale of how the name was changed in the storyline, as well as the formation of the legendary League of Heroes. For that, we'll take a trip to the past, when the League of Heroes was just about to form together.**

After Ratchet had received the memory of Pupuru, thanks to the power of the Dark Knight, he began to grow these deep feelings of sorrow. As he stood on the grounds of the planet Veldin, with his friends Clank and Talwyn Apogee at his side, an urge came to his head—the need to go to Earth and unite with Pupuru become her friend like he did in her dream.  
"That poor fellow is locked behind bars as we stand here and speak…" Ratchet spoke up. "She needs her sanity back, as well as her friends from that horrid nightmare. I hope you both are understanding what I'm talking about."  
"We are TRYING to," Talwyn replied sadly. "If this is something that you really need to fix, then we're more than willing to help."  
"That is true, Ratchet…" Clank chimed in. "This is something you want, so we'll help."  
"I really appreciate it…" Ratchet replied. "But this is not just something I ALONE want. That girl really needs OUR help, not just mine. With our combined forces, we can protect her from any danger that threatens, especially that Dark Knight character. If we're gonna form the League of Heroes, now is the perfect time to do so. As long as she is kept at Blackfield Asylum, she's not yet safe…"  
(Note: We are currently back in the time right after Ratchet and Talwyn were removed from the dimension where the rest of the Lombax race lived. A dim flicker of Marcus Kane's intelligence within the mind of the Dark Knight tempted him to bring them out of that void and free Pupuru before Needles could use his mind for any more evil purposes.)

The trio headed to Ratchet's old home, the garage where he used to work with Grimroth Razz, his former mentor. But Grim was not on Ratchet's mind at the time; he felt that his top priority was to gather those worthy of being part of the League of Heroes.  
"I do have something to confess," Ratchet spoke again as he pulled a small, white, cubed object out of his right pocket. "When Clank and I were about to leave the Great Clock, I grabbed this thing on the way out. I didn't know what it was at first, but I then tested it out to know that it was a transporter that travels through time and space. I call it the "Time Box" as something fun. And I swear I recognize this thing from Pupuru's dream. Yes…now I know!"  
"Do you suppose that thing can take us to our destinations?" Clank replied.  
"I KNOW it works perfectly fine. Besides, this thing is better than any Dimensionator! I set its user-recognition system so that only I can use this thing. Of course, when we get Pupuru out of the asylum, I'll set its controls so that SHE can use it as well as I can. Allow me to blow you away with this thing…"  
Merely by tossing it to the ground, the Time Box expanded and grew to a greater size, big enough for something to walk into it. One of the sides opened up as a door and revealed the inside of the time-traveling device, which was bigger on the inside to everyone's amazement.  
"Please don't tell me you've been watching too much Doctor Who…!" Talwyn gasped as she stepped inside.  
"Don't blame me, I didn't create this thing," Ratchet replied. "But let's not chat about it right now; we've got places to go and people to see."  
The determined Lombax set the coordinates to the planet Kerwan. It was there that he wanted to meet an old friend of his, who just ended her term as mayor of Metropolis. Sasha Phyronix had probably forgotten all about Ratchet and his robot friend Clank after all these years; it was about time that they reunited.  
In an instant, the Time Box brought the trio to their destination. Clank and Talwyn were impressed at the power of this amazing contraption. With a heart beating at a faster pace, Ratchet stepped out and hurried towards the office of Sasha, eager to see her again after so long.  
Two robot guards were stationed at the front entrance; when they saw the Lombax coming towards them, they immediately spoke:  
"You are here to see Phyronix?"  
"I bring her some news…" Ratchet replied to the guards. "It's urgent."  
"Your access is granted. Her term has just now ended, so she is packing her belongings. You may go on in."  
"Thanks…"  
Once inside, Ratchet found his way to Sasha's office, with something hidden in his left hand that he would reveal to her later. He then noticed a door that was swung wide open—Sasha was there, right in front of him. "Sasha!" he exclaimed as he ran in.  
Sasha immediately turned her head to see who had just barged in. She did not recognize him at first; it took her a look at one of the framed pictures on her desk to finally give her the hint of who this person was. "Ratchet!" she gasped. "Where have you been all this time?!"  
"I'll tell you about that in due time," Ratchet replied, excited. "But I have something more important to tell you first. This concerns a young girl I know, who is imprisoned as we speak. She did not do anything wrong intentionally; some horrifying nightmare caused her to go insane. People saw her as a threat after seeing her accidentally kill people in her sleep. But now is our chance to help her—I'm forming a team of heroes that can wipe out whatever threatens her, EVEN what can possibly threaten Earth itself. And I want you to help; we'll not only be her protectors, but her friends as well."  
"That does convince me, Ratchet…" Sasha said after thinking over it for a second. "You've always been so passionate. And it's time that I do such a similar act as well. Other than that, we and our friends…just really need to stick together more often. I do accept your offer, Ratchet, and I am more than happy to help in changing this girl's life."  
"Thank you so much, Sasha. You're a great help. But there is still a lot to do; we must gather all the others before things get bad for Pupuru. Here's her picture, by the way…" With that, Ratchet revealed what he had hidden in his left hand. Sasha observed the picture with careful eyes, scanning the girl whose mind was soon to be repaired.  
"I'll try to remember this face…" Sasha said as she handed Ratchet back the small picture. "Did you tell anyone else about this? I hear some clamoring outside."  
"Only Clank and Talwyn know about this for now, until I told you. But I hear a familiar voice out there."  
Ratchet and Talwyn's ears tuned to what was going on outside the office. "What are you talking about?!" shouted a voice. "I'm Captain Qwark! I'm allowed ANYWHERE!"  
"Qwark!" Ratchet exclaimed excitedly. "Does he even know how long I've missed him! Well, we still have plenty of time to explain things to EVERYONE. But we've got to keep moving if Pupuru wants her wish to become true…"

 **Now we move a large step further into time, when Ratchet made the last call for the next youngest member of the League of Heroes.**

Ratchet sent a call to the Professor, who had read its marking as "urgent" and answered it right away. After letting Spike listen to the message sent to him, the Professor asked him if there was anything he needed to assist him as long as he was part of the League of Heroes.  
"Are you sure?" Spike asked him after hearing him out. "I mainly help YOU out all the time! I'll be fine, Professor, believe me. I'll always come back and visit you anytime. But not only is that girl in danger, but all of Los Angeles is as well—and our help is needed. I have a feeling this is far more serious than we think it is."  
"I understand, Spike," the Professor replied. "You may go and pack your things. I hear that Lombax fellow is giving you a ride to LA, but…it's not a fashion that I've ever heard of before."  
About an hour later, Spike noticed something strange standing in his front yard. Ratchet had arrived with the Time Box as promised, but it was unlike anything Spike had ever seen before. He ran out of his house with his packed belongings and saw the Time Box's door open. He gasped as he saw the interior of the transportation device, as his mind became dazzled in amazement.  
"This is truly just like Doctor Who…!" Spike exclaimed as he walked right in. "It's bigger on the inside!"  
"So you've been catching up with that show as well, I see…" Ratchet replied with a slight smile. "Believe me, you're gonna LOVE being part of the League of Heroes!"  
"Not just because of the good stuff we get to explore. But because of the real purpose of saving the world… and justice on our enemies…"  
"I like the way you say that… Well, just stand back and let this thing do its magic!"  
"What a wild thing, this…Time Cube…"  
"Excuse me?" Ratchet said, confused.  
"I just think its a cool nickname for this thing," Spike explained.  
"Well…I at first called it a Time BOX. But, just think… "Time CUBE" actually sounds cooler. I'll stick with that. Thanks!"

 **Yes, Ratchet thought he had it made when the League of Heroes was forming together. The final person he was to pick up and take to Los Angeles was Sly Cooper. But when Ratchet arrived at Paris, he received a rather shocking answer.**

"I can't do it…" Sly sadly spoke to Ratchet. "I'm not the person you should turn to for hero work."  
"Why didn't you say this before?" Ratchet replied. "Just think of a great team that we can be! You, plus Bentley and Murray, joining the protectors of universe! Can you imagine that?"  
"Don't get me wrong, Ratchet. I like picturing how it would be like if I joined. I would enjoy it very much…if Carmeleta Fox wouldn't be chasing me down for the billionth time. If she finds out that I've gone to Los Angeles, she'll truly KILL me off for good. I'm very sorry, Ratchet, but I'm no more than a wanted person."  
"Hey, when I first arrived at LA, there was an agent from the U.S. Government who already saw me as a threat. He's still attempting to hunt me down; but together, we can be unstoppable."  
"You mean you want to overthrow government?!"  
"Heck no! The U.S. Government is already supporting us; it's just Agent Stone in particular that dislikes the idea. But don't worry; the supporting commander is keeping him occupied so he doesn't go after us…until he arrests him the next day."  
"But what about Carmeleta?"  
"Well…when she finds out you're part of the team, she might give you a pardon…I hope… And the only things you would REALLY need to steal are certain things from the enemy."  
Sly heaved a heavy sigh of relief, then thought it over. "Okay, buddy…" he spoke again. "You've convinced me good enough. I'm in!"  
"See? All you need is faith…"

 **Well, now I got that out of the way. Sorry if it seemed rushed. I just don't write the same way I used to anymore.**  
 **The next story will blow your mind. It is a complete rewrite of my very first published fanfic, the one that started the original cancelled PlayStation All-Stars series! It's been three years since I wrote that story, and it's been two years since I took it down and threw it away. But now I'm bringing it back in its new and improved censored version.**  
 **See you then!**


	7. Of Traitors and Theives

Coleiosis Productions presents…  
PlayStation All-Stars Volume Two, Season Four Episode Five Of Traitors and Thieves

Produced by one of the greatest fanfiction teams of all time:  
Cole Bezotte, rapid writer Sofie Spangenberg, peerless plotter Forrest Eaton, chaotic consultant (I let these guys put their names in the credits occasionally. It's better than leaving them in the dust.)

A short introduction Boy, did we outdo ourselves this time.  
Let's face it: Sly Cooper comes from a long line of thieves, and it's no wonder that he is never caught by the authorities. He's just…well…perfect! But the question is: is it all worth it?  
As we have studied the very rough relationship between him and Carmelita Fox, we are beginning to grow not only anxious, but also a bit irritated (and some of it may have to do with Carmelita's uniform). We are also irritated about what we're doing to Sly in this series: making him a public hero and not stealing valuable items like he usually does. Where is the real mind of this iconic raccoon? It's a good thing we're not getting complaints about it anyway.  
So… What will happen when Sly Cooper goes back to his old ways? You'll have to find out yourself, you lucky reader. And not only that, you'll find an interesting return of Carmelita Fox, and not like her brief cameo in "Return of the Reaper". Oh, and speaking of which, when will Mr. Grimm return? That will never be answered until further notice. And as for Sweet Tooth bloody Sweet Tooth, he'll obviously be here. Anyway, enjoy!

Of Traitors and Thieves The city of Los Angeles took a beating from the dark atmosphere above. Constant rain poured from the thick black clouds that hung over, followed by almost never-ending thunder. It was not a typical day to go out looking for trouble; today, the League of Heroes decided to take life easy that day—but not for Ratchet. He felt that something was tugging at him, waking him up to a certain situation that happened recently. No matter where it was, he was willing to find it and identify it.  
That night, as the thunderstorm continued, Ratchet could not sleep. Everyone else easily drifted away, but this Lombax could not stop thinking that someone or something was coming his way. And his hunch was correct, as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs into the living room. He turned to see who it was, but without drawing his Omniwrench for combat. If anyone would be coming down the stairs into this area, then he guessed it would be one of his allies. And there he saw her, Sasha Phyronix, quiet but anxious.  
"Why have you come down here?" Ratchet spoke first. "Is there something bothering you?"  
"I feel as if something can't get away from me…" Sasha replied softly. "I just can't get you off my mind."  
"Sasha, it's probably Needles that can't escape your thoughts. You must forget about him—focus on something that brightens your spirit…like I am trying to do. Why is it that Needles and I have so much connected with each other? I know that we've been through a lot as bitter rivals, but why is it that we just can't separate each other? The Lombax and the clown…is that doomed to stay?"  
"Ratchet…" Sasha continued, "…I just want you to know something. About you and Talwyn…well…I think you both can get along so well. You can have her all you want; as for me…I can't let anything fall…"  
"What is it?" Ratchet snapped. "Are you hiding something?"  
"Oh…I lost the words… I can't think straight…!"  
"That's strange…" Ratchet thought as he studied Sasha and her appearance. "Why is she clutching her robe so tightly? She always dresses in some fancy pajamas… Ah, now I see something about her legs; why are they shining so? They look like…"  
"Ratchet…what's wrong?" Sasha whispered.  
"Don't fool me, you faker!" Ratchet barked in reply. "If you really are one of Eggman's robot goons, then you've no chance for making it out alive!"  
(Again there is an Adema "easter egg" placed within this sentence. Can you find out what it is?)  
"Ratchet!" Sasha shrieked. "Please don't!"  
Ratchet lunged his arm forward to tear the robe right off, revealing a metallic body. He was right: he was dealing with a robot, and not the real girl he once knew. He even tore off the face mask that hid the head of the machine. Right then, a flash of lightning lit the room temporarily, revealing the full form of the one who stood before the startled Lombax.  
"You better tell me where the real Sasha is!" Ratchet exclaimed as he held his wrench tightly. "What have you done to her?!"  
"Ratchet, you don't understand!" the robot replied desperately. "It's ME! Something terrible had happened!"  
"What are you saying? Is that…really you…Sasha?"  
"Yes, Ratchet…"  
"How did this happen? Wait… I bet Eggman used his Roboticizer—that horrible machine Sonic warned me about."  
"That did bring me here, yes… But it was for a good reason that I accepted."  
"What do you mean?"  
Sasha told of the sad tale that happened the day before. She had returned from a mission with Marcus Kane, the man who had created the monster Needles with his confused mind. They had saved Sasha's father from a terrorist attack started by Apocalypse 9, a new gangster group. After they had fulfilled the quest and had driven the thugs back to the hideout they came from, they drove back home in a stolen prototype of Needles' ice cream truck. Marcus drove them the way back to the mansion, but things started to change once they had reached halfway there. Needles had noticed the prototype truck they had stolen and desired it back from them.  
And so, with his unbeatable power, the evil one casted an illusion upon the driver, making him think that he was too tired to keep on driving. Marcus fell asleep, locked in a dream that captivated him until hours later. Sasha and her father attempted to shake him awake, but it was no use. They were unable to warn Marcus about the danger that was coming their way. Dreaming that he was driving elsewhere, Marcus continued to hold his foot upon the pedal, little knowing of what was really in front of him. Before long, it ended, resulting in a destroyed truck. It snapped Marcus awake to see what sat next to him in the passenger seat: Sasha Phyronix the corpse.  
The first thought that came to mind was to visit the laboratory of Dr. Eggman; they had read the recent news that a juvenile by the name of Kyata Kuzundhai was roboticized but was able to keep his memory and personality.  
(It happened in a Super Sonic Squad episode. That series will get new episodes soon, so don't worry.)  
Dr. Eggman at first gave no guarantees because Sasha was once a captive at the Egg Tooth Asylum during the time that he teamed up with Needles.  
(Again another recall back to an old story, PlayStation All-Stars X Super Sonic Squad.)  
The only thing to convince the mad genius to do it was to promise that the League of Heroes would no longer consider him a target. It satisfied Eggman to roboticize Sasha; it was the only thing to do to keep her alive. If she was to transform back to her normal self, then she would die from the crash.  
"So that's the dark truth…" Ratchet said after hearing everything. "It's very ironic how your father survived but not you, his only daughter. I'm very sorry…"  
"You don't have to be," Sasha replied. "I actually like being this way… Who says robots aren't cool? Besides, we can really use a female computer counterpart…"  
"Perhaps you're right. Just keep yourself from malfunctioning, Sasha."  
"Oh, and I also received a few messages in my databanks, from the Galactic Rangers…"  
"Wait…they're back? I haven't seen them in FOREVER! If they're asking to join the League of Heroes, then they'll get a DEFINITE yes from me!"  
Suddenly, a beeping noise was heard from the back of Sasha's head. It seemed to have rung its sound slowly at first, until the noise beeped faster as Sasha turned to look out the window.  
"What's going on?" Ratchet asked.  
"It's my radar," Sasha answered in reply. "It's picking up a runaway life-form from outside…! Oh no!"  
"What is it? It better not be Needles again!"  
"It's not… This may shock you…!"  
Ratchet saw who was sprinting out in the front yard of the mansion; it was no trick or illusion that displayed itself right before Ratchet's eyes. It was none other than Sly Cooper himself, hurrying towards his van.  
"What is he doing?!" Ratchet exclaimed. "Did he just…?!"  
Dashing outside, the Lombax found Sly climbing into his van as he held a shiny object in his left hand. Ratchet recognized it at first sight: it was the all-powerful Time Cube, and Sly was stealing it right before his eyes.  
"What are you doing?!" Ratchet shouted.  
"Something I should have done a long time ago…" Sly replied. "Ever since you introduced this to the League of Heroes, I have been putting my eyes on this thing out of jealousy! I couldn't stand the fact that you and Pupuru had the power to travel through time and space with this thing…and that I did NOT! Recovering my history of my family is important to me!"  
"I thought you already had that time-traveling power with your van."  
"We USED to! Needles made short work of it after a recent encounter with him. But THIS piece of beauty is worth a steal! I'll make my family proud once again by taking this, a valuable source of power!"  
"Give me that Time Cube!" Ratchet barked as he grabbed Sly's arm and yanked him out of the van. "I only use that for the best of times!"  
"Take your hand off me!" Sly replied, wrenching Ratchet's arm away with his cane. "If you hadn't just used this thing to kill that freak in the first place, we wouldn't be a team! You've wasted so much of my time!"  
"It takes more than a Time Cube to defeat Needles! It will take complete unity to put him down completely!"  
"Unity?! Ha! If it takes a thief to easily steal a treasure, then why do you not have stealth in your blood? You're just not thinking straight!"  
As Ratchet and Sly bickered among each other, their physical battle raged on, perhaps with no end until one of them is satisfied. Though Sly was completely angry with the Lombax, he did not feel like resting until he was completely helpless. And it seemed as if the furious raccoon was going to get his wish, for Ratchet grew very tired after being hit by Sly's cane for the umpteenth time.  
"You better stay where you are, you has-been!" Sly said after rendering Ratchet helpless on the soaked ground. "You've pushed yourself so hard to do all this for a girl. Pupuru is such a wimp, I don't know why I even joined this hero group in the first place."  
"You wanted this, remember?" Ratchet weakly replied. "You weren't satisfied until I said Carmelita would no longer hunt you down. And it looks like she will because of how much you've changed!"  
"I'll worry about her later…" Sly continued, pointing the tip of his cane to Ratchet's chest. "Right now, I've got myself a bigger reward to catch."  
The raccoon lifted the cane high before bringing it back down upon the poor Lombax. But right when he did, he suddenly saw a spurt of blood emerge from Ratchet's chest, on the very spot the cane's tip touched. Sly could not believe his eyes; he was very shaken at what he had just seen.  
"What have I done…?" he thought, dropping his cane to the ground. "My arrogance and pride caused me to kill the poor guy! I didn't mean to…!"  
Sly's question was just about to be answered when he saw something stuck on the left side of Ratchet's ribcage. He used the hook of his cane to fish out what he thought it was. Covered in blood was the solution to the problem: "A silver bullet! Who could have done this?!"

Is Ratchet really dead? We will have to find out next time when the killer reveals himself! Until then, subscribe to us and you will receive the next chapter in your notifications. 


	8. Take Me Out of Hell

Coleiosis Productions presents…  
PlayStation All-Stars Volume Two, Season Four Episode Six Take Me Out of Hell

Another towering triumph by our batty bullpen…  
Cole Bezotte…writer and editor Sofie Spangenberg…plotter and admirer Forrest Eaton…Needles' pants-presser Too bad Sly Cooper doesn't wear any pants, because Forrest needs little extra in his paycheck.  
and finally…  
You…reader and subscriber Don't say we didn't warn you if you missed our last caper!

"Someone killed Ratchet with this thing…" Sly Cooper thought aloud, wiping the Lombax's blood off the silver bullet he found in Ratchet's chest. "I thought I killed him myself! It's a good thing I DIDN'T, otherwise Carmelita would surely have my head off if she wanted to. This thing came from a distance, perhaps behind me…!"  
Sly turned around to see if his suspicion was correct; and indeed it was, as he saw the figure of Needles, the embodiment of all that is evil. And in his right hand he held a pistol, with a thin puff of smoke rising out of it.  
"YOU!" Sly shouted in a fit of rage.  
"Yeah, creepo—me!" Needles replied in his usual deep, gruff voice. "I finally have the goods on Ratchet just as I did on Pupuru and her friends. You're gonna help me, or I'm gonna do to you what I did to that pitiful Lombax!"  
"He interfered with Pupuru as well!?" Sly thought as he gripped his cane very tightly. "He'll pay for this dearly…with his life!"  
Hatred burned in Sly's eyes. A quivering lump grew within his throbbing throat. His muscles tensed. Then, like a tightly wound coil, he sprang forward in one savage leap, gripping Needles' neck with his free hand. "You killer!" he exclaimed as he attacked. "You filthy, murdering killer! I'm gonna make you pay for what you've done!"  
So sudden and ferocious was Sly's attack that the startled clown had no time to react. The youth was a wild animal who thrashed his hapless victim without mercy. To Sly, this was the man who instigated all the trails and fears that he had suffered all this time. "You killed Pupuru!" Sly continued to shout as he knocked the gun out of Needles' hand. "You MURDERED Ratchet! And now you will pay dearly with your LIFE! This time, you're not taking on someone helpless! This time, creep, you're outta your league! You'll never kill again, you filth! So help me, you'll never do anything again!"  
Needles felt the pain of Sly's fingers around his neck, choking him with all his might. "Stop it!" he begged as he struggled to pry the raccoon's hands away from him. "The curse…you're increasing it's power!"  
"Curse?" Sly thought as he loosened his fingers. "It must be the fire on his head."  
Distracted, the thief did not see what was coming to him; Needles retrieved his gun and smacked it right upside his head. "Boys and girls…" he thought as he watched the creature fall to the ground, "…this is one crazy pile of crap I'm dealing with. Good thing he's out—otherwise I might wanna get back at him for what he just did to me. Man—does he have steel hands? I can still feel them around my neck."  
Weakened by the blow, Sly staggered to his knees, not knowing what he should do next. The thought of Ratchet and Pupuru simply could not leave his head; but hopefully, they would not have died in vain if he could avenge them.  
"Now that those two worst enemies of mine are out of the way…" Needles spoke to him, "…I'll need you to tell me what I want to know. Tell me where the Time Cube is and I'll let you live."  
"That's not like you to let someone walk free," Sly replied weakly, coughing up blood for a second. "I thought you would finish me off on the spot."  
"Maybe I will, thanks for the idea. But I'll keep you alive long enough to tell me where that frickin' Time Cube is."  
"I don't know exactly… Only Ratchet and Pupuru would know all about the Time Cube. I suppose you want to destroy the whole thing."  
"Don't be stupid! Ratchet wanted to cheat his way to victory and defeat me with that thing again and again! But like all good things, it had to end—here and now… And I got my wish granted without ever entering a freaking Twisted Metal contest! But as for that Time Cube, you better talk, and now!"  
"Go stab yourself, you freak! You deserve to be the last victim of your killing spree!"  
"Shut up and bleed, you motherfu—!" Needles was interrupted when Sly launched himself up again and swatted his head with his cane. Enraged by this sudden attack, the villain drew out his machete and quickly cut Sly across his throat. The raccoon lied back on the ground, struggling to receive air for his weak lungs.  
"Alright…" Needles continued. "If that's the way you want it—that's fine with me. I'll take that thing BY FORCE!" With both arms, he picked up Sly and hung him upside down. He shook the poor raccoon to get his hat to fall off, revealing a shiny object hidden in it. "Finally!" the villain continued as he tossed Sly aside to the ground. "The prize is now mine! I finally have the Time Cube! And with it, complete death and destruction will sweep across this pitiful universe…MY way!"  
Thinking that Sly had died from the brutal struggle, Needles walked to his ice cream truck, which was hidden at the Ridgepoint Centre parking lot.  
(Why does that sound familiar? Well, it's that supermarket from the Suburbs level of Twisted Metal: Black. A mishap is that the guy on the intercom says "There's always great value at Buzz's Stop-n-Shop." WRONG MARKET!)  
Sly heard the villain drive away in his truck, taking the Time Cube with him. "Where is he going?" he thought as he struggled to get to his feet. "What's his next move? Not that I know who his next victim is—I was just fishing for more info… And right now, I've got the right mind to go see Carmelita Fox for help. At least I'm HOPING for her to cooperate with me. I'm fed up with people being killed mercilessly! Frankly, I'm just about fed up with almost EVERYTHING! So, believe me—when I get mad—nothing gets in my way!"

Epilogue: The Fallen Somewhere else in the present time, somewhere else in Los Angeles, another Lombax reflected on the recent happening. The one known as Donna struggled to escape the torment of the evil one who never tired out from his dark deeds. Every time she read the news that Needles was still the notorious serial killer he was, it broke her to pieces, knowing that no one was safe.  
"Sweet Tooth Serial Killer on the Loose!" one of the headlines read. "Entire Supermarket Butchered By Ice Cream Truck Killer!" read another. It was not until the final clipping she read "Insane Clown Still On The Loose!" that she finally had enough of Needles' killing game. She attempted to convince the gentlemen of the press to put the villain on a wanted poster so that it would be easier for the authorities to track him down. But she received the same response every time she stated her request: "We want peace and quiet. We don't solicit anything. We don't advertise."  
"So they only do photos…" Donna thought as she pasted a cut-out picture of Needles on her belt. "I guess I'll have to take him on myself. And something tells me it won't be very easy, not after that fight we had recently. And poor Pupuru…I haven't heard back from her yet…!"

What do we suppose will happen next? The next episode is promised to be finished as soon as possible, then we'll all read for ourselves. Until then, keep your Omniwrench polished and free of blood, because we don't want anymore killers out there. 


	9. The Fabric of Eternity

Coleiosis Productions presents…  
PlayStation All-Stars Volume Two, Season Four Episode Seven The Fabric of Eternity

Brought to you by the most hard-working fanfic team…  
Written by Cole Bezotte, the toast of the town Plotted by Sofie Spangeberg, the people's choice Observed by Forrest Eaton, the man of the hour Hated by Needles Kane, world's biggest loser And once again reuniting with the titanic talent of Needle Kirby

After Sly Cooper had recovered from the ordeal that had recently been put to an end, he had finally received the call that he had hoped for. Carmelita Fox had come to the scene at the mansion's driveway, finding a bleeding raccoon sitting next to an unconscious Lombax. However, she was not satisfied with the result that she found, thinking that Sly had done the dirty work himself.  
"Don't move, Cooper!" Carmelita started as she pointed her pistol at him. "I have you dead to rights now!"  
"I swear I have no gun on me!" Sly replied, standing up straight to show no weapons. "And I wouldn't call you for my own arrest."  
"Well said… Let me see the shell that you found." After Sly handed the silver bullet to her, she inspected it very closely and thoroughly, also feeling along its edges. After twenty seconds had gone by, she declared: "This is not a bullet."  
"What do you mean?" Sly replied, confused.  
"No shell ever has a long needle at its tip. I can disassemble this easily, so we'll see what's underneath." With that, she unscrewed the bottom of the "bullet", and slid out a micro test tube which was stained with Ratchet's blood and another fluid along with. But to the surprise of the two animals, this liquid was a light purple.  
"So Ratchet's not dead…" Sly said as he observed Ratchet's wound once more. "He was injected with something…but WHAT? So Needles was just too lazy to kill Ratchet like he always wanted to? There's something fishy going on here, and it must be a part of something BIGGER."  
"I'll take this for further study," Carmelita continued as she put the tube in her right pocket. "You make sure he wakes up fine."  
"No, wait!" exclaimed a voice from behind. Sly and Carmelita turned to see Donna the Lombax at the end of the driveway, halting them from any further motions. "I'll take care of him. He is needed for something."  
"But how can we trust you?" Sly replied in question. "We haven't even met!"  
"I've been secretly throwing myself into your team's missions, not because I want credit but because I feel like it. Anyway, I'll take Ratchet with me; there's something important I need him for. And don't worry, I'll treat his wound. You go look for Pupuru…"  
"She's not dead? Tell me, where can I find him?"  
As she waited for Ratchet to recover from the recent attack, Donna told a tale of yesterday, the same time that Sasha had suffered from the car crash. She had been invited to a slumber party that Pupuru was hosting that night, and she seemed eager to attend. Little knowing of any danger that would come by, she traveled from the planet Kerwan to Earth, using her trusty that she had added new improvements to. But those modifications did not last long, not after the ship was secretly sabotaged by the awesome power of Needles' ice cream truck. The villain did not destroy the ship until the coast was completely clear, but that was after the incident. The real caper happened only about a half-hour after Donna arrived at the mansion: Needles broke in to make the moment not so happy anymore.

At that same time that Donna told the story, Needles himself was recalling that fateful day. "That filthy Lombax didn't make it easy…" he thought as his mind drifted off to that dark time. "Pupuru was the real target I was after. I toyed with her, and I teased her. Boys and girls…she was delightful. She was just as fearful as all those other times we met. But that Lombax came and ruined everything! She hurt me, just like when we first fought each other. She escaped, but overlooked one thing: I took Pupuru as a captive, following along with the awesome plan I had in mind. Once she was missing from the others, I readied phase two, which was to inject Ratchet with that special serum…"  
"Drifting off, as usual?" a voice spoke, interrupting Needles' train of thought.  
"Shut up, will you?" Needles retorted in reply. "I have interruptions! And I don't need a computer to judge my ways!"  
This was Needles' new computer companion that he had created last week: My Evil-Loving Villainous Intelligence Network. For short, the name was MELVIN, whose memory and data banks were extracted from a clown midget who died in a battle against Dr. Eggman. Though Needles himself was a murderous one, he figured he would need someone to back him up or feed him information. So MELVIN keeps himself activated at all times on Needles' control pad, which was an iPad that he modified himself.  
"If that serum doesn't work…" Needles continued, clenching his fists tightly, "…I'll have that doctor's head on display!"

Back at the mansion, Sly searched for one of his teammates, hoping to get some help out of him. Donna had already brought Ratchet to the destination that was desired, and Carmelita drove back to her office to study the chemicals that were driven into the Lombax. It was already 2:30 pm, but everyone else was awake after hearing the commotion that went on outside.  
"I really wish I could help…" Jak said after hearing the whole story, "…but our ships are sabotaged and useless now. Needles even destroyed the portals, so we can't even use instant transportation to the Time Cube."  
"I have an idea!" Nathan Drake exclaimed, overhearing the conversation. "If there's one other method of getting to that powerful box, then we'll have to do it in an alternate way: through a hyper-atomic DEEP FREEZE!"  
"What does that even mean?"  
"It's a process that makes space travel to outer galaxies feasible. It was the first method the Lombax race used before they knew about hyperspace. But for this case, someone can travel to the other end of the universe…and when he gets back, he'll be no older than when he left."  
"How do you know so much about Lombax history?"  
"Ever since I met Ratchet, I've been studying his kind with my pal Sullivan. This gibberish is starting to make more sense to me."  
"As much as I hate to admit it…" Sly replied, thinking over it, "…I'll be willing to do it. It's all we can do for now, so we should just go with it."  
After requesting a new spaceship from the U.S. Government, Bentley prepared its inside so Sly can travel to the Time Cube and back safely without any casualties. "Why don't you take us with you, Sly," he urged. "You'll be needing us for sure."  
"You worry too much, Bentley," Sly replied, hurrying his friend out of the ship. "I better take on this mission alone. It's my fault that Ratchet almost died; I started this whole incident. But now I owe him for what I caused. I'll snatch Pupuru out of there a THIEF'S way."  
The procedure for returning was explained in its fullness, then Sly Cooper climbed into the deep freeze chamber. And as he lied down, he began to hear nothing but a dull, unbroken hum. Then a vapor oozed out through unseen metallic pores, a soft, dark, velvet vapor. Slowly, Sly felt consciousness—awareness, being drained from him. His muscles softened, weakened, as he went down, and back into a warm, deep sleep. A sleep that lasted until he reached the hangar of the Time Cube. His last thought was that he hoped to see Pupuru alive when he arrived at his destination.  
Then, gradually, he felt an ache—a slight pain, as life began to well within him. From the bottomless depths consciousness and awareness issued forth, as he woke up from his long trip. "I'm here already?" he thought as he stretched his arms. "It feels like I've gone through a good sleep, one that I haven't had in a long time."  
Down below on Earth, Bentley and Jak watched the process carry on through their radar screens. They were connected to the miniature cameras that were hooked up on the inside of the ship, and one clipped to Sly's belt. "I really wish I could hack into that Time Cube…" Bentley spoke slowly as he looked down at his keyboard, "…but I've already given it everything I have. I can't control it, because Needles had already installed a special security software in its main control console."  
"Something SHOULD happen somehow," Sly replied through his miniature com-link. "I can't simply convince Needles to open the door to the time vortex for me. I figure that's where she's being held. I better get her out of there fast. And while I'm here, I might as well steal some of Needles' valuables and see how HE likes it!"  
"Be careful, Sly…"  
Needles was already aware that the courageous raccoon had landed the ship inside the Time Cube's hangar area. But he was ready to fight him once again, now that he had the power of the Time Cube under his control. "Little does he know that I've installed MELVIN into the main console," the villainous clown thought, drawing his machete. "This place is mine now, and he can't control any of it anymore! How good it was to rename this the BLACK CUBE! He should have seen what the outside shell looks like now. But enough of that! That fool raccoon should realize that I am more than a match for him!"  
"You better show yourself, you crapface!" Sly called out as he entered the master chamber.  
"I wasn't waiting for you…" Needles replied, pointing his deadly weapon at the raccoon. "But if you insist on a fight over the girl, then I'd be glad to participate! Boys and girls, we are about to see this filthy animal's downfall!"  
"Quit your gloating! I came here to steal back something that belongs to me!"  
"All you do is talk to keep your nerve up! You know you haven't a chance against me, especially with the Black Cube at my command!"  
"Come and get me…" Sly taunted, tilting his blue hat.  
"Here in this battle…" Needles continued, ready to swing down with his blade, "…there are rules that only I can make. And number one clearly states that the villain lands the first blow!"  
True to his words, the freak made his move, but his machete landed upon Sly's cane, trusty for defense. "Quit bragging!" Sly said as he pushed Needles back with his weapon. "I'm here for a treasure, and you're in my way!"  
"Cut the sarcasm!" Needles barked in reply. "I strongly dislike your ways of speech!"  
As the battle continued on, insult after insult spilled out, causing both fighters to grow furious at each other. Though each combatant felt stronger as they went on, one of them began to realize that this could actually be a waste of time. The real mission was still not complete. "We're getting nowhere with this!" Sly thought as he pushed Needles back once more. "Pupuru still needs my help, and I still don't know how I'm supposed to get into the time vortex! Perhaps the only thing I need to do is bribe this fatty, just like what happened to Sasha… I hope it works…"  
"Okay, pal!" Sly finally spoke after the final blow was delivered. "We'll be at this all day it seems, but I'll make a deal with you."  
"You offer me something?" Needles replied. "What a joke!"  
"I'm not kidding. You hand Pupuru back to me, and I promise we will no longer consider you our enemy. Me…and the League of Heroes…we won't fight you anymore. You'll be free from us forever!"  
"So that Lombax won't harm me anymore, as he had done all this long time we were bitter rivals… Alright, pal, you can take her. But if you and your buddies ever come and fight me again, I'll have display your heads in a special trophy case. I'll never break this deal…"  
"Now I see we are both satisfied. Give her to me!"  
Without any hesitation, Needles placed his thumb upon the button that opened the door to the time vortex. As he watched Sly enter to bring Pupuru out, the villain thought silently to himself: "I don't know why I'm bothering to do this without killing them both. Perhaps I'm just too sentimental for my own good, but this is one promise that dude proposed without haste. But little do they all know that I'll still give Ratchet a taste of his own medicine and finish him for good! This was such a good plan from the start: I'd kidnap Pupuru and keep Ratchet busy with something else, so that I'd kill the girl later on to keep her out of the way…then I'd destroy Ratchet with a different method. Even though Pupuru is being freed right now, I can still take care of the Lombax even though I'd be breaking this promise. Then when the rest of his friends find out about his death, they'll be FORCED to hold back, for they offered to no longer fight me!"  
"Finally!" he heard Sly exclaim as he watched him step back into the master chamber. "The prize returns to me. And I don't know whether or not I should thank you for your cooperation."  
"I shouldn't thank you either," Needles replied. "Let's just stick to the deal and move things along. Get her out of my sight…"  
Sly Cooper carried the unconscious Pupuru in his arms, returning to the ship that brought him here. And once he left, the clown was ready to continue on with his plan. "Now Ratchet is all I need to focus on," he thought out loud. "That potion should not fail."  
"My experiments should NEVER fail!" spoke a voice from right next to him. "You have the word of Dr. Neo Cortex!"  
"Don't be so overconfident… But we'll shove that aside right now. I should be sure that the League of Villains are prepared for our next move!"

Don't go thinking that Donna is stealing Ratchet for something sexual. IT WON'T HAPPEN LIKE IN THE CANCELLED SERIES! You will have your questions answered in the next issue, along with a few other surprises! We will see you next time! 


	10. The Lombax Renegade

Coleiosis Productions Presents…  
PlayStation All-Stars Volume Two, Season Four Episode Eight The Lombax Renegade

Produced with power by the most merriest fanfic writers of all time!  
Cole Bezotte, sovereign of story Sofie Spangenberg, princess of plot Forrest Eaton, emperor of editing Needle Kirby, countess of consulting and Vince Montgomery, lord of looking (not really)  
Also, we are introducing some new original characters by Alexandra Gemini and Dantiscus

Ratchet woke up to the sound of a crackling fire, though he did not remember at first what had happened just recently. Once he fully came to, his head dazed and heavy from the heavy ordeal, he looked ahead of himself and saw something that he had never expected to see: another one of his species, standing in front of a large metal can with fire in it.  
"Please tell me I'm dreaming…" he whispered to himself. "This is impossible! The Lombax race is dead!"  
"I know what you're thinking," spoke the female Lombax after she heaved a sigh. Removing her black hat revealed a gloomy expression upon her face; something was within her that bothered her, and it did not seem to go away. "But this is why we brought you here…"  
"You mean…there are more?" Ratchet replied. "How many survived after the Cragmite invasion on Fastoon?"  
"We don't know for sure. The name is Alex Gemini by the way… I brought you here and cleansed that wound for you."  
Ratchet could not think straight at first. But then his mind began to think back to how he was brought here in the first place. "I remember now…" he thought aloud. "I had that battle with Sly Cooper not too long ago. And right when it seemed like he was going to finish me, I was knocked out so suddenly. But what caused it?"  
"I sure hope night doesn't get here too quickly…" Alex muttered quietly. But Ratchet heard what she just said, attentively listening with his sensitive ears. "I just get that groggy feeling every time."  
"Can you please explain how I got here?" Ratchet asked her impatiently. "I was in the middle of a battle until I blacked out. And…I still feel a pain from what struck me…"  
"It was not a real bullet," Alex answered in reply. "Some wet-behind-the-ears mad scientist has recently created a new potion that…causes an unpleasant result. And it was what you were hit with, in a fake shell."  
"So that explains this bleeding… But what is this serum about?"  
"I cannot tell… Its results are pretty ugly…you'll have to see for yourself."  
"Well, I better see it soon. Hey, who else is in this operation?"  
"No one important, really… And I certainly hope I didn't speak too soon…"  
Ratchet still was not getting what was being said; still confusion sank deep into his mind, pushing the pressure upon him. "I need answers now!" he thought, eager to attack the one who stood before him. "This particular gal looks pretty suspicious to me…!"  
But before another word was said, Alex suddenly went out of her way to escape the scene, as if someone else was coming that way. And indeed someone was: the figure of Donna appeared to check up on the one whom she brought here. "You're awake!" she spoke. "But don't stand up too quickly, or you'll lose a little more blood."  
"Who was that other girl that just left?" Ratchet responded to her, confused. "The one who patched this wound here."  
"What are you talking about? There's no one here but us, and I was the one who treated that wound for you."  
"Then she must be a spy working for someone, or going solo. I just don't get everything right now, so can you please start from the beginning?"  
"I guess that's what I'll HAVE to do… My name is Donna…I'm a friend of Pupuru's and will soon be accepted into the League of Heroes, and I foiled the last caper as you were knocked out cold. Remember when all of Pupuru's memory was being broadcasted?"  
"That's right!" Ratchet replied. "I attempted to halt Dr. Eggman in his scheme, but was knocked out. Was that you that finished it for me?"  
"That's right," Donna continued. "You were just never around to see me…until now. And speaking of which, Pupuru should be back safe by now. Sly Cooper did the favor of getting her out of the time vortex, where she had been kept by that freaking clown."  
"Then she's safe… I knew Sly still had some good in him. I guess he just had to learn from his mistake… But who shot me then?"  
"Needles did that… I decided to come and bring you here after hearing the news of his sick attacks. And I must say he's worse than anything that happened in 9/11. But anyway, to cut to the chase, I brought you here for a reason, and we need your help."  
"Who's we? I bet you have one more Lombax among us…"  
"I actually do…"

Meanwhile, in the main chamber of the recently-christened Black Cube, Needles commanded his computer MELVIN to open the sliding door and let in a coming intruder. The main door opened, revealing the mad scientist known as Dr. Neo Cortex, evil mastermind whose life's goal was world domination, and the defeat of his worst enemy Crash Bandicoot.  
"Apparently, you've been very busy since the last time we saw each other," the doctor spoke to the hideous clown.  
"Don't bother me right now!" Needles retorted in reply. "I'm still waiting for night to settle in. I still won't be satisfied until I see real results about your serum."  
"It's quite a beauty, I must say! Little will they ever suspect of its true power until too late! They'll already be monsters when they least expect it!"  
"Remember, Cortex, that Ratchet was given a full amount. The the pale Lombax, on the other hand, was only given a droplet."  
"Still, the effects are quite satisfying… It reminds me of that headset I created that transformed innocents into mutants. But this is far more powerful than I had ever done before! And I can't wait to inject it into Crash himself once our mission here is complete. Oh, by the way, where is that other subject?"  
"That's what I'm also waiting for…"  
And they spoke at the right moment when the Lombax known as Alex arrived just as she was requested a while ago. She looked paler than ever, knowing that each second that ticked away brought her closer to what she feared. She dreaded what was coming for her.  
"You came just as I wanted you to," Needles spoke to her. "You better remember our deal, like we talked about from the start. I'll be willing to cure you if you help me destroy Ratchet once and for all."  
"Can't we make our move tonight, while we still have time?" Alex asked in reply. "PLEASE don't make me have to face this again!"  
"At least you don't face the entire effect like Ratchet will. You've only been given a drop of the potion as a test subject. Remember how much I'll owe you for Ratchet's death; I HIRED you for this!"  
"But is it worth it?" Alex silently thought as she walked away into the shadows. "I'm a master thief, not a killer. And yet, I can't resist doing this job to get myself cured. I just don't know if I'm doing the right thing or not."  
Dr. Cortex followed Needles into the next room of the Black Cube, where they found just the thing they expected: eight other villains eager to put the next phase of their diabolical scheme into action. Captain Slag, Rusty Pete, N. Gin, Tiny Tiger, Frank McCutcheon (No-Face), Agent Stone, Dr. Nefarious, and his butler Lawrence all sat at a round table, patiently waiting for Needles and Dr. Cortex to appear and give the sentence.  
"All of us must wait until the time is right that we attack," the demented clown spoke to them all. "We will wait until Cortex's potion takes its full effect upon our victim. Only by then can we attack Ratchet as he is in his monstrous form, then we'll be seen as the new saviors of Earth! We'll let the public think of it that way…until we show them our REAL business."  
"I should be promised the death of Captain Qwark as well," Dr. Nefarious replied with eagerness. "We'll be striking a victory for us all!"  
"It may be just well…" Captain Slag added. "We'll plunder the land for its riches once we've mopped up the floor with those scalawags!"  
"Patience, you all…" Needles responded to them all. "All should be in readiness. All shall go exactly as planned." But in his vision, he saw what would really happen to his new League of Villains once their mission was fulfilled. "How they despise goodness…" he thought silently. "How filled with treachery and deceit are all their hearts. And that is exactly as I wish it. United by a bond of mutual hatred—of stark, gnawing distrust—they follow me blindly—and will continue to do so—until the day when I shall dispose of them all!"

At the dark hideout where Ratchet and Donna had kept themselves, a dark sky began to loom over their heads as night took place. Donna was still waiting for the other helpful Lombax mentioned earlier by Alex, but this one was not like any other. Finally, she saw the appearance of a blue-furred female Lombax take place; she felt like rushing her friend over after seeing what was going on with Ratchet. Some rather nasty thing was about to take place.  
"Sorry I took so long," spoke the blue one. "I just had a big hit-and-run with a robot pirate. So this is the fella you were talking about?"  
"Ratchet, I want you to meet Tatzeya," Donna said, introducing the long-time hero with the new one. "She helped me with the idea to defend this part of the city from Needles' next attack."  
"It's very nice to meet you, but… what happened to the half of you?" Ratchet asked the blue one. "You're a cyborg!"  
"It's a long story…" Tatzeya replied. "But I'll tell you about some other time."  
"As much as I like to know that my race still lives…I'm just not feeling so well. It isn't possible to be fully dosed with this potion and not have SOMETHING happen. I—I'm beginning to feel strange. My head is throbbing…"  
"You're not going to like the next part," Tatzeya continued, reading a meter on her cybernetic arm. "The readings here are off the chart!"  
"Your arm!" Ratchet replied. "It has a built-in geiger counter to measure radiation! Listen to it! It—it's going wild!"  
As Ratchet exclaimed those words, something terrible began to happen to him. Donna and Tatzeya watched in horror as Ratchet increased in size, his clothes tearing off as his fur lengthened. His claws sharpened, his fangs grew out, his tongue dripped with a black venous ooze. His eyes no longer viewed the other two Lombaxes as friends but victims.  
"It's getting louder and louder!" he continued to scream. "Faster and faster! What's happening? What is happening? ARRGGGGHHHHH!"  
And in his place stood the new hideous monster that he was, wishing nothing but destruction and death upon the world. Tatzeya was about to give Donna the signal for the next move, but when she turned, she was gone. Donna had vanished from the scene!

How surprising is this? Ratchet is now a giant monster, and Donna had suddenly left! Have we seen the last of her? How will Ratchet return to his normal good self again? And by what means will the League of Villains destroy him? You will have to see for yourself, matey! We will see you next time! 


	11. Blood in the Water

Coleiosis Productions presents…  
PlayStation All-Stars Volume Two, Season Four Episode Nine Blood in the Water (originally titled "Do the Roar")

Another literary smasheroo produced by Cole Bezotte, Sofie Spangenberg, Forrest Eaton, Needle Kirby, and Alexandra Gemini. Always remember that this will be ignored by those of little faith. So don't say we didn't warn you about missing out on all the fun.

Tatzeya stood in a very heavy disbelief, the fact dancing in her head that Ratchet had completely transformed into a giant beast, and Donna had left the scene right when she was needed the most. The very thought erected a sense of rage within her, knowing that now she was without any aid in this oncoming battle.  
"What timing!" Tatzeya thought as she evacuated Ratchet's path. "She just HAD to do it! Why?! I need her for this next part! It's when I take the new villain league head-on, making Ratchet think that I'm on his side. It's sad to think that somewhere trapped in that clouded brain lies the mind of the most heroic Lombax ever known."

And thinking that same thing was the vicious Needles. In the main control room of the Black Cube, he opened the hatch that held five vehicles, parked momentarily before they were to be driven out into the trembling city. "These Twisted Metal vehicles are just the thing we need to topple that freak!" he thought as he pulled a large lever. "With enough firepower, we can overthrow the very race that I fear and hate! I have never succeeded in killing a single Lombax… but today will be the day. I'll keep him dead for all eternity, as well as the rest of the accursed species!"  
He planned the assault upon Ratchet to be as follows, with each pair of villains controlling each vehicle:  
-Vehicle: Sweet Tooth; Driver: Needles; Gunner: Dr. Cortex -Vehicle: Junkyard Dog; Driver: Captain Slag; Gunner: Rusty Pete -Vehicle: Warthog; Driver: N. Gin; Gunner: Tiny Tiger -Vehicle: Outlaw; Driver: Frank McCutcheon (No-Face); Gunner: Agent Stone -Vehicle: Shadow; Driver: Dr. Nefarious; Gunner: Lawrence

But most of it became true to his plan; Needles only became very upset to one mishap, and that is all the others taking off without him. He watched in shock and frustration as the vehicles emerged from the Black Cube's hangar area, leaving him out of the action that was soon to come.  
"What are you doing!?" Needles exclaimed in anger. "You can't have all the fun without me!"  
"Beat it, useless!" Dr. Neo Cortex retorted in reply as he drove away in the ice cream truck. "We won't take any orders from you! Amazing as your killing ways may be, we don't need a brutal boss to push us around! I used to run this operation…and it's time I did again!"  
Needles felt like screaming out the F word with full rage, watching Cortex take off with his destructive ice cream truck. "Can I ever trust a mad scientist for once?!" he thought. "Dr. Eggman is frustrating enough, but THIS guy is double the trouble! I hate super-geniuses!"

Ratchet was not yet aware that anyone was coming at him; his mind was currently set on causing destruction upon the empty city. The monster that he had become was no longer brilliant as the real Ratchet was; all he could do was scream, destroy, and hate even more against the one who had hounded him for so long now. And at a safe distance away from him, Needles held his machete ever so tightly, eager to end the beast's pitiful life here and now.  
"This is what I always wanted, Ratchet!" Needles shouted at him. "A chance for you to lie down and die forever! This time, I will gain the victory! This time, your accursed race of aliens will be no more! This time, YOU WILL DIE!"  
Frustrating as it was that the League of Villains were doing all the dirty work, torturing the beast with the weapons built in to the heavy-armored vehicles, it at least created a diversion enough for the clown to walk forwards and lay the final move upon the one he had hated the most.  
But what about the other evil-doers? Cortex, controlling the Sweet Tooth ice cream truck, eagerly launched its special weapon, the "Laughing Death", hurling the devilishly-grinning clown head off the top of the truck. It flew towards its target, landing itself right at Ratchet's stomach, causing him to turn and face the ones who began their full-frontal assault upon him. He roared at his new enemies and eager lifted a leg to stomp upon them.  
Though Ratchet was about to land his giant foot upon the enemy, another threat came at him. Captain Slag commanded his gunner Rusty Pete to launch the Wrecking Ball from their vehicle; with pinpoint accuracy, it stuck to Ratchet's foot, causing him to scream in pain. Struggling to remove the spiky weapon from underneath his bleeding foot, he suddenly felt something pelt upon him. Former agent Stone, traitor to the U.S. Government and the army, began firing the SUV turret upon the top of his vehicle, shooting countless bullets and "Blood Missiles" at the one he hunted when the poor alien stepped foot upon the Earth for the first time.  
Ratchet's eyes adjusted to the sight of his first earthly nemesis; a dim flicker of his intelligence sparked inside his clouded brain, causing him to know whom to attack next. He whacked his giant tail at the car, backing it away as a warning. But Frank saw it coming, so he immediately backed away and turned to an alternative route.  
"Honestly…" Stone spoke to him as he climbed down into the passenger seat of the vehicle. "How can you see where you're driving without your eyes?"  
Through a thought-reader, Frank merely had to think of what he wanted to say, then the miniature contraption would project it into audio, causing it to "speak" what was on his mind. Without a tongue, he needed a voice projector. "It's just a lucky part of me, I guess," Frank replied to Stone. "Though I can no longer see, it feels like all my other senses have gotten stronger. I can hear where I'm driving, and can even hear the fast heartbeat of that freak. He's all excited, and craves the action he needs to get us off his back."  
"If we failed to defeat Ratchet in the past, what makes that little scientist think that we'll succeed THIS time?" Stone continued.  
"Well, he's a mad genius, so it's so easy for him to plan things. I've got to hand it to him for making that monster serum. I wonder if he'll make a potion that makes me receive a new pair of eyes and a new tongue…"  
"Less wondering, more fighting, man!"

At that same time, in the chamber of the Black Cube, Alex Gemini struggled to stop the transformation that she herself was facing. However, given a mere droplet of the potion, only a minor change occurred. Her fangs grew out to reveal what was once beautiful, now a horrid sight. Her claws sharpened into those of a wild black bear, but that was not all; her size increased only by two to three inches. This was the time of day that she hated the most; when night fell, her appearance changed from a beautiful figure to the monster she hated to become.  
"Am I a fool to trust Cortex?" she thought as she sobbed heavily. "But I have no choice! I must do as I am told—if I want to be my normal self again. And yet, my beloved people—my race—they want to stand side-by-side with the human race. They work hard to unite us and prove that we are not harmful monsters, like one that I had become now. The humans… They've traded Ratchet with respect—like an equal. And this is how I've repaid them—with the basest treachery. Is beauty so dear—that I'd pay such a price for it?"  
The answer was given merely seconds after Alex had gone over all those thoughts. After Needles finally reached the top of a tall skyscraper via its elevator, the attack became more gruesome than ever. Tatzeya had followed his trail there to stop him in his act of putting Ratchet to the end of his life once and for all; and just as she hoped, she managed to reach him just in time.  
"You better get out of my face right now!" Needles shouted violently at her, shaking his machete in bitter rage. "I'm sick of your race getting in my way! Just die, you stupid b!# ^! JUST DIE!"  
"You're madder than ever, I see!" Tatzeya replied, rolling out of the way of the deadly blade. "But you keep forgetting that evil is never triumphant!"  
"Shut the f* & up and bleed, you motherf-UUAAAGGHHH!" Needles was given so strung of a blow from Tatzeya's robotic left arm, harder than anything else he had ever felt.  
"You can't possibly let your hatred let you overcome us!" Tatzeya continued to speak her mind. "Though an outcast I may seem to you, there is still the trait of courage with me…"  
"Words!" Needles shouted in reply. "Words! Who cares for words?! My brutal strength and craftiness will win in the end! You may be cooler than ever as a cyborg, but it won't help you against me!"

"It's over…" thought the weary Alex, clutching the levers of the Black Cube's console. "I managed to revert it back to its original state, as the Time Cube. All it took was jamming that photo of that clown freak into the boot device to restart it. I've got to thank Donna for giving me that picture, so I would know who I'm REALLY going up against. And that Cortex…he is such a fool!"  
As she thought of her success, she began to feel a sudden change to her. The sun was beginning to rise, marking a new morning, bringing an end to her burden of ugliness and her monstrous form. "I guess resetting this machine also reset the time of day…" Alex thought as she looked down at herself. "I'm my old self again! But there is still the antidote to be found; and thanks to my master thief ways, I'll snatch it away myself. Now that my brain is no longer partially clouded like it is whenever I change, I can concentrate and focus fully on the task at hand instead of feeling sorry for myself."  
Right then, a sudden noise was heard from the next room. Alex turned to see what looked like a floating tiki mask, with a mouth that really spoke. "That's strange…" it spoke up. "I swear it had a different interface when we got here. And where's Dr. Cortex?"

Tatzeya was relieved to see the morning come, but was right then stressed to see Ratchet shrinking back to his normal self. The high-powered Twisted Metal vehicles were still firing their brutal weapons at him as he changed to the intelligent, passionate Lombax that he once was. But suddenly, everything halted.  
"Look!" N. Gin spoke as he pointed towards the transforming Ratchet. "What's happening to him? Is he changing back to normal…so soon?"  
The smoke cleared, revealing the yellow creature lying motionlessly on the crunched street. Worried and filled with fear, Tatzeya escaped the building's rooftop and came down to the surface below, to see if Ratchet had survived the full impact of the deadly Twisted Metal weapons. "Please don't be dead!" she thought as she sprinted to the spot. "I beg you, please don't be dead!"

Donna took Alex's place at the console of the revived Time Cube, tempted to give in to its awesome power and transport herself to a new destination. But she needed time to think things over first.  
"I know it was foolish of me to abandon the battle when Tatzeya needed me most…" she began to think aloud. "But I needed to know what secrets this thing holds. And now that the battle is over, I am free to see what this thing can do. Alex managed to steal the antidote to the monster serum, also thanks to the help of those three wonderful bandicoots and Aku Aku. Ratchet should still be alive; those weapons hurled at him should shake off during the change. And as for me, I have but one choice to travel to a certain time in my life and give myself the chance to relive it. But where do I go? Do I dare go to the past and wreck the timeline? Or do I dare visit the future and see what is soon to come?"  
Donna's fingers twiddled around the levers and buttons of the Time Cube's console, clueless as to what she was to do next. Where would she go?

Epilogue: Washing Away the Pain Pupuru walked downstairs to the living room of the mansion, surprised to see Ratchet sitting on the couch, wrapped in a thick, warm blanket. Though he was wrapped in many bandages due to the wounds he received during the recent battle, he was still alive and well. He only needed time to recover before moving on to the oncoming battle.  
"You're alright!" Pupuru exclaimed as she embraced the Lombax. "I thought I'd never see you again!"  
"Better yet…" Ratchet replied, "…I've also been cured of this monstrous potion, but I'll get to that story some other time. Did Sly stay true to his promise?"  
"I couldn't help but keep asking him where you were. He kept replying with the same answer, that he didn't know exactly where you were taken."  
"I know that my people needed me…and that there are many other Lombaxes out there in the universe that have managed to escape the dimension that they sought during Tachyon's attack on Fastoon. I guess I fascinated them with the Time Cube under construction, because some other Lombaxes somehow left that void. Can it be that they are scattered around the Earth? If that is so, I am more than eager to go out there and find every last one of them and repopulate Fastoon as it used to be."  
"And I hope to do this with you, Ratchet. I would be more than willing to help you find your race, after how you, Donna, and Angela have treated me. Your people have been very kind to me and the human race, so I don't see any problem in bringing us together in unity."  
"That sounds like a very passionate girl who wants peace desperately…"

Wow! Three years of fanfiction! We ought to celebrate for this!  
We will see you in our next season, but we haven't thought of any new ideas yet. However, we are currently attempting to tell of Needles' next move, where Dr. Cortex and the League of Heroes had gone, where other Lombaxes are to be found, and if Crash Bandicoot and his friends are to appear again. Quien sabe?  
Thank you all so much! We love you! 


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